In this article we will focus on the Xanthomonas Genus and quick diagnostic tests.
What does SmartProtect focus on?
AREFLH is a partner of the SMARTPROTECT project "SMART agriculture for innovative vegetable crop PROTECTion: harnessing advanced methodologies and technologies". The project aim is to bridge the knowledge gap between innovation research and practice in the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methodology in different outdoor and undercover crops.
The Xanthomonas is a large genus of gram-negative bacteria containing numerous phytopathogenic species and pathovars within species. These pathogens cause widespread outbreaks among many economically important hosts, and diseases include citrus canker, fruit and leaf spot on pepper and tomato, black rot of crucifiers, and blight on geranium.
The members of Xanthomonas display a great degree of host plant specificity and tissue specificity, invading either the mesophyll tissue (cankers and leaf spots) or the vascular tissue (blights and wilts). Many of these diseases are responsible for devastating crop losses throughout the world, affecting both crop productivity and quality if unchecked. Therefore, many species of Xanthomonas are considered organisms of quarantine status by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO).
The outbreaks of disease caused by Xanthomonas can occur throughout the season. Nevertheless, the proliferation of inoculum (bacterial cells) and subsequent dissemination are dependent on local climatic conditions. Colony growth is optimal during periods of warm, wet weather. Xanthomonas forms mucilaginous colonies, which are suspended in water and spread locally in droplets via wind, splashing rain and overhead irrigation. Furthermore, human activities such as picking fruit and pruning can exacerbate spread within fields, greenhouses and orchards. Long-distance dispersal is most common via movement of infected budwood, cuttings, seedlings and seed.
Bacterial cells enter leaves, fruit and stems through natural openings and injured tissue. Thereafter, a wide variety of symptoms are observed, depending on the specific pathosystem. Infected pepper and tomato plants are known to exhibit lesions on foliage, stem and unripe and ripe fruit. Lesions can render fruit unmarketable, while severe foliar infections can cause defoliation, leading to sunscald of fruit and overall plant deterioration. Symptomology is like that on pepper and tomato, including corky lesions on fruit, leaves and woody stems. Citrus fruit exhibiting cankers are unsalable for fresh market and can drop prematurely under high disease pressure. Bacterial spot on peppers and tomatoes is caused by four species of Xanthomonas: X. euvesicatoria, X. gardneri, X. perforans and X. vesicatoria. Citrus canker, caused by X. axonopodis pv. citri, is one of the most pressing diseases among citrus spp. worldwide.
The Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, the causal agent of black rot of crucifers, can cause severe disease in several species of Brassicaceae, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, rutabaga and turnip. Crop losses of 50% are not uncommon under conditions conducive to rapid spread of the pathogen. Symptoms include wilting and collapse of seedlings, necrosis at leaf margins and interveinal, V-shaped lesions on mature plants. Bacterial blight on geranium is caused by Xanthomonas hortorum pv. pelargonii. This disease is specific to and one of the most important diseases of Geranium and Pelargonium. Symptoms vary depending on species and typically include water-soaked lesions, progressing to form larger, V-shaped lesions, similar to those observed in black rot infections. Bacteria often invade the vascular system and cause wilting and eventual plant death.
To assist this disease Agdia announces the commercialisation of a rapid diagnostic test for detection of several phytopathogenic members of the Xanthomonas genus on their ImmunoStrip® platform.
To know more read the article of Hortidaily
Know more about SmartProtect
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 862563.