During 2015–18, surveys were conducted in the main eggplant growing areas of Iran and in all areas phytoplasma-type symptoms were observed. A total of 350 symptomatic eggplant plants were collected and tested for the phytoplasma presence on 16S rDNA. Diversity of the detected phytoplasmas was verified by molecular analyses, dodder and graft transmission on experimental test plants. Phytoplasmas were detected in all symptomatic samples and, by using nucleotide sequence comparisons and virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of 16S rDNA, six subgroups including 16SrII-D and -V, 16SrIX-C and -I, 16SrVI-A and 16SrXII-A and molecular variants related to 16SrII-D, 16SrVI-A, 16SrIX-C subgroups were identified. Based on symptomatology in dodder and graft inoculated eggplant and periwinkle plants, the phytoplasmas enclosed in the identified subgroups were differentiable. Collectively, based on the results of the present study and considering the reported presence of phytoplasmas belonging to the same ribosomal subgroups in other crops, eggplant fields play an important role in the epidemiology of other diseases associated with these phytoplasmas in Iran.

2015-18 年期间，在伊朗主要茄子种植区进行了调查，并在所有地区观察到植原体型症状。总共收集了 350 株有症状的茄子植物，并测试了 16S rDNA 上植原体的存在。检测到的植原体的多样性通过分子分析、菟丝子和对实验测试植物的嫁接传播进行了验证。在所有有症状的样本中均检测到植原体，并通过对 16S rDNA 的核苷酸序列比较和虚拟限制性片段长度多态性分析，分为 6 个亚组，包括 16SrII-D 和 -V、16SrIX-C 和 -I、16SrVI-A 和 16SrXII-A 以及鉴定了与 16SrII-D、16SrVI-A、16SrIX-C 亚群相关的分子变异。基于菟丝子和嫁接接种的茄子和长春花植物的症状，包含在已识别亚群中的植原体是可区分的。总的来说，根据本研究的结果并考虑到其他作物中存在属于相同核糖体亚群的植原体的报道，茄子田在伊朗与这些植原体相关的其他疾病的流行病学中发挥着重要作用。