Question:
Sandalwood spike disease (SSD), the most destructive of known diseases to infect Indian sandalwood (Santalum album L.) is caused by____.
Sandalwood spike disease (SSD), the most destructive of known diseases to infect Indian sandalwood (Santalum album L.) is caused by____.
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Sandal Spike = Phytoplasma (carried by leafhoppers). It has nearly wiped out natural sandalwood populations in the Javadi Hills and Mysore regions.
Updated On: Aug 7, 2026
- Phytoplasmas
- Polyphagous insect
- Rhizoctonia spp.
- Viruses
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Question:
Sandalwood Spike Disease is the most significant threat to the sandalwood industry in South India. The question asks for the biological causative agent of this disease.
Detailed Explanation:
• Symptoms: The disease is characterized by extreme reduction in leaf size, shortening of internodes, and a "spiky" appearance of branches. The infected tree eventually dies within 1-3 years.
• Discovery: Historically thought to be caused by a virus, research in the late 1960s using electron microscopy revealed that it is actually caused by Phytoplasmas (previously called Mycoplasma-like organisms or MLOs).
• Nature of Phytoplasmas: These are specialized bacteria that lack a cell wall and live exclusively in the phloem of the plant.
• Transmission: The disease is transmitted from tree to tree by sap-sucking insects, specifically leafhoppers (like Jassidius indicus and Moonia albimaculata).
Step 2: Final Answer:
Sandalwood spike disease is caused by Phytoplasmas.
Sandalwood Spike Disease is the most significant threat to the sandalwood industry in South India. The question asks for the biological causative agent of this disease.
Detailed Explanation:
• Symptoms: The disease is characterized by extreme reduction in leaf size, shortening of internodes, and a "spiky" appearance of branches. The infected tree eventually dies within 1-3 years.
• Discovery: Historically thought to be caused by a virus, research in the late 1960s using electron microscopy revealed that it is actually caused by Phytoplasmas (previously called Mycoplasma-like organisms or MLOs).
• Nature of Phytoplasmas: These are specialized bacteria that lack a cell wall and live exclusively in the phloem of the plant.
• Transmission: The disease is transmitted from tree to tree by sap-sucking insects, specifically leafhoppers (like Jassidius indicus and Moonia albimaculata).
Step 2: Final Answer:
Sandalwood spike disease is caused by Phytoplasmas.
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