phytoplasma

American  

[fahy-toh-plaz-muh] / ˌfaɪ toʊˈplæz mə /

noun

plural

phytoplasmas

1. Microbiology. any of a group of bacteria that lack a cell wall, like the related mycoplasmas, but are distinctly noted for their specialization as destructive parasites within the phloem of plants.

---

phytoplasma Scientific  

/ fī′tə-plăz′mə /

1. Any of a group of extremely small bacteria that are similar to mycoplasmas in that they have a cell membrane instead of cell walls and can assume a variety of shapes, but are parasitic solely in plants. In many plants, phytoplasmas invade cells of the food-carrying tissue known as phloem and are usually spread by plant-sucking insects, such as the leafhopper, which draws its food from phloem. Phytoplasmas cause some 200 plant diseases affecting several hundred genera of plants.

2. See also mycoplasma

---

Other Word Forms

• phytoplasmal adjective

Example Sentences

Researchers have uncovered the intricate molecular mechanism used by parasitic phytoplasma bacteria, known for inducing 'zombie-like' effects in plants.

From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 2023

Sugar accumulates on the leaves of an infected plant and is converted to starch, providing a reliable marker of phytoplasma infection in other crops, such as citrus groves.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 2022

SAP05 is not the first substance made by this phytoplasma that the scientists have linked to the symptoms it causes.

From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2021

“It looks like it stays in a juvenile phase,” said Saskia Hogenhout, a scientist at the John Innes Centre in England, who studies the life cycle of the parasite, which is called Aster Yellows phytoplasma.

From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2021

Along for the ride will be their good friend, the phytoplasma.

From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2021