Characterisation of New <i>Foxunavirus</i> Phage Murka with the Potential of <i>Xanthomonas campestris</i> pv. <i>campestris</i> Control

Abstract

Phages of phytopathogenic bacteria are considered to be promising agents for the biological control of bacterial diseases in plants. This paper reports on the isolation and characterisation of a new Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris phage, Murka. Phage morphology and basic kinetic characteristics of the infection were determined, and a phylogenomic analysis was performed. The phage was able to lyse a reasonably broad range (64%, 9 of the 14 of the Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris strains used in the study) of circulating strains of the cabbage black rot pathogen. This lytic myovirus has a DNA genome of 44,044 bp and contains 83 predicted genes. Taxonomically, it belongs to the genus Foxunavirus. This bacteriophage is promising for use as a possible means of biological control of cabbage black rot.

Keywords

• <i>Xanthomonas</i> bacteriophages
• cabbage
• <i>Brassicae</i>
• biocontrol
• bacteriophage taxonomy