During the 2015–2016 fruit production season, a papaya bunchy top (PBT) disease was observed in a papaya production farm located at Region de Piura, northern Peru. Affected plants exhibited symptoms of excessive proliferation of auxiliary shoots at the top or near top of the main stem, shortening of internodes, leaf yellowing, and necrosis of leaf veins. The symptom syndrome suggested possible infection by a phytoplasma, and the recent discovery of a phytoplasmal disease in a nearby vineyard also indicated that a phytoplasma reservoir and potential vector(s) were present in the area. Molecular diagnostic assays for phytoplasma detection were therefore employed. Nested polymerase chain reactions and subsequent nucleotide sequence analysis confirmed that phytoplasma infection did occur in the papaya production farm. The phytoplasma strains found to be associated with the PBT disease are ...