Sandal (Santalum album) is an important forest tree that has been utilized for centuries, valued for its wood and scented essential oil derived from the heartwood. Sandalwood spike disease (SSD) is one of the most destructive problems that affect Indian sandalwood. In 1969, three research groups confirmed that the causal agent of SSD was a phytoplasma. Although research literature on sandalwood spike disease has been published for over a century, many earlier publications reported only primarily descriptive macro‐morphological data. Identification of the causal agent was confirmed only recently, using nested PCR of 16S rRNA‐encoding gene sequences and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The identified phytoplasma exhibited high sequence similarity to the aster yellows subgroup 16SrI‐B in NCBI BLAST search. The use of tissue culture in transgenic and disease‐free cloning strategies to produce disease‐resistant sandalwood tress might be the most realistic solution for SSD. The aim of this review is to increase understanding of SSD among phytopathologists in order to encourage research on SSD to discover best management practices. The increased cultivation of sandalwood plantations has significant importance, and it is essential to review the status of SSD.

中文翻译：

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对檀香穗状花序病复发及其治疗方法的严格评估

凉鞋（Santalum专辑）是一种重要的林木，已经使用了多个世纪，以其木材和源自心材的香精油而闻名。檀香穗病（SSD）是影响印度檀香的最具破坏性的问题之一。1969年，三个研究小组确认SSD的病原体是一种植物质体。尽管有关檀香花刺病的研究文献已经发表了一个多世纪，但许多较早的出版物只报道了主要的宏观形态数据。仅在最近才确定了病因，使用嵌套式PCR编码16S rRNA的基因序列和限制性片段长度多态性（RFLP）分析。在NCBI BLAST搜索中，鉴定出的植物原质与紫苑黄亚组16SrI-B具有高度的序列相似性。在转基因和无病的克隆策略中使用组织培养来生产抗病的檀香木树苗可能是SSD的最现实解决方案。这篇综述的目的是增进植物病理学家对SSD的了解，以鼓励对SSD的研究发现最佳管理方法。檀香人工林种植的增加具有重要意义，并且有必要审查SSD的状况。