Pesticidi i Fitomedicina (Jan 2008)
Erwinia amylovora – the Causal Agent of Root Collar Necrosis of Apple Trees
Abstract
A large-scale outbreak of fire blight symptoms caused by Erwinia amylovora was recorded in pome fruit trees during 2007. In addition to fruit necrosis and shoot blight as the typical disease symptoms, dark purple necrosis was observed in the root collar area girdling the trunk just above the ground and thus withering the whole apple tree. Since similar symptoms on apple trees could be caused by E. amylovora or one of several phytopathogenic fungi of the genera Phomopsis and Phytophthora, an investigation was conducted to identify the causal agent of this disease. Levan-producing, nonfluorescent bacteria were isolated from diseased samples. The isolated strains produced HR in tobacco leaves and necrosis of artificially inoculated, immature pear fruits, followed by oozing of bacterial exudate, a characterisitic of E. amylovora. Based on the results of pathogenicity tests, biochemical characteristics, ELISA test and PCR analysis, it was confirmed that the investigated strainsbelonged to E. amylovora, causing the root collar necrosis of apple trees as an atypical symptom of this bacterium in Serbia. The explanation of this symptom may be that the vegetative rootstocks were infected with E. amylovora. Therefore, the development of diagnostic protocols for detection of E. amylovora in apple rootstock is very important for health inspections of planting materials.
