Abstract
Ninety-six strains of Pantoea ananatis were isolated from 14 plant species including melon, rice, tea and other crops of economic importance. They were classified into three groups (group I, II, III) based on a welsh onion stabbing assay, tobacco infiltration test, and polymerase chain reaction to detect indole acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis genes (iaaM and iaaH) and a cytokinin biosynthesis gene (etz). Group Ι strains were characterized as causing significant blight symptom on welsh onion and inducing a hypersensitive response (HR)-like reaction on tobacco leaves after 36–48 h and encompassed 20 isolates from foxtail millet, hydrangea, pineapple, river water and rice. These 20 isolates did not possess iaaM, iaaH, or etz genes. Group II, consisting of 34 melon isolates, harbored iaaM, iaaH and etz genes, but did not cause either blight on welsh onion or HR-like reaction on tobacco. Group III strains did not have the iaaM, iaaH, and etz genes, nor did they cause any reaction on welsh onion or tobacco. The 42 strains in group III were isolated from bamboo grass, Chinese silver grass, citrus, dogwood, melon, mugwort, silk tree, sweet corn, tea and welsh onion. Representative strains of the three groups were tested for pathogenicity on melon and rice. Group Ι strains caused palea browning on rice but not internal fruit rot on melon. On the contrary, group II strains did not cause disease on rice but caused internal fruit rot on melon. Group III strains were not pathogenic on rice or melon. These results suggested that the host range of P. ananatis may be predicted by the reactions of welsh onion and tobacco and detection of iaaM, iaaH and etz genes. These tools may serve as rapid tests to identify the pathogenicity groups of P. ananatis.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to The Yokohama Nursery Co. for helpful comments and discussion; to Dr. Oshiro and Mr. Shouda, Okinawa Agricultural Experiment Center, for his technical assistance in the pathogenicity test of SUPP2219 and 1791 on pineapple and isolation of Pa-1, 4, 5; to Miss Adachi, Kochi Agricultural Research Center, for isolation of A1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17; to Dr. Morohoshi, Department of Applied Chemistry, Utsunomiya University for providing strain SK-1; and to Dr. Azegami, National Agricultural Research Center for providing strain NR53. This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (No. 18380031) from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science.
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Kido, K., Hasegawa, M., Matsumoto, H. et al. Pantoea ananatis strains are differentiated into three groups based on reactions of tobacco and welsh onion and on genetic characteristics. J Gen Plant Pathol 76, 208–218 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10327-010-0230-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10327-010-0230-9