Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of pear tree physiology on fire blight progression in perennial branches and on expression of pathogenicity genes in Erwinia amylovora

  • Published:
European Journal of Plant Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The interaction between Erwinia amylovora (the causal agent of fire blight) and the physiological status of pear trees was examined under orchard conditions. The physiological status of the trees was defined qualitatively, using host phenology and vigour as measures, and quantitatively, using the sorbitol content in annual shoots as a measure. Qualitatively, tree response to fire blight was governed by phenological stage at the time of infection and vigour: low vigour trees inoculated in the autumn (just before entering dormancy) and high vigour trees inoculated in the spring (soon after bloom) were more susceptible than high vigour trees inoculated in the autumn and low vigour trees inoculated in the spring. Quantitatively, the rate of symptom progression in perennial branches (SPR) was significantly (P ≤ 0.001) correlated to the absolute value of the rate of sorbitol content change (|SCR|). The relationship between hrp genes expression of transformed E. amylovora (estimated according to hrpE and hrpJ expression) and |SCR| was determined on 1 year-old trees. Expression of hrp genes was significantly correlated with |SCR| (P = 0.004) and 63.5% of the variability in the hrp genes expression was attributed to |SCR| values. The expression of hrp genes increased gradually and asymptotically with increasing |SCR| values; further increase in |SCR| did not affect the expression.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

SPR :

the rate of symptom progression in perennial branches

|SCR|:

the absolute value of the rate of sorbitol content change.

References

  • Barny MA (1995) Erwinia amylovora hrpN mutants, blocked in harpin synthesis, express a reduced virulence on host plants and elicit variable hypersensitive reactions on tobacco. European Journal of Plant Pathology 101: 333–340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beer SV, Norelli JL (1977) Fire blight epidemiology – factors affecting release of Erwinia amylovora by cankers. Phytopathology 67: 1119–1125

    Google Scholar 

  • Bieleski RL (1969) Accumulation and translocation of sorbitol in apple phloem. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences 22: 611–620

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blachinsky D, Shtienberg D, Oppenheim D, Zilberstaine M, Levi S, Zamski E, Shoseyov O (2003) The role of autumn infections in the progression of fire blight symptoms in perennial pear branches. Plant Disease 87: 1077–1082

    Google Scholar 

  • Bubán T, Foeldes L, Kormány A, Hautmann S, Stammler G, Rademacher W (2003) Prohexadione – Ca in apple trees: Control of shoot growth and reduction of fire blight incidence in blossoms and shoots. Journal of Applied Botany 77: 95–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen LS, Cheng LL (2004) Photosynthetic enzymes and carbohydrate metabolism of apple leaves in response to nitrogen limitation. Journal of Horticultural Sciences and Biotechnology 79: 923–929

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa G, Andreotti C, Bucchi F, Sabatini E, Bazzi C, Malaguti S, Rademacher W (2001) Prohexadione – Ca (Apogee®): Growth regulation and reduced fire blight incidence in pear. HortScience 36: 931–932

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crosse JE, Goodman RN, Shaffer WH Jr (1972) Leaf damage as predisposing factor in the infection of apple shoots by Erwinia amylovora. Phytopathology 62: 176–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui SM, Chen GL, Nii N (2003) Effects of water stress on sorbitol production and anatomical changes in the nuclei of leaf and root cells of young loquat trees. Journal of Japanese Society of Horticultural Science 72: 359–365

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eastgate JA (2000) Erwinia amylovora: The molecular basis of fire blight disease. Molecular Plant Pathology 1: 325–329

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fernando WGD, Jones AL (1999) Prohexodione calcium, a tool for reducing secondary fire blight infection. Acta Horticulturae 489: 597–599

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Iriarte M, Stainier I, Cornelis GR (1995) The rpoS gene from Yersinia enterocolitica and its influence on expression of virulence factors. Infection Immunology 63: 1840–1847

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim JF, Wei ZM, Beer SV (1997) The hrpA and hrpC operons of Erwinia amylovora encode components of a type III pathway that secretes harpin. Journal of Bacteriology 179: 1690–1697

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis DH, Smith DC (1967) Sugar alcohols (polyols) in fungi and green plants. I. Distribution, physiology and metabolism. New Phytology 66: 143–184

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li TH, Li SH (2005) Leaf responses of micropropagated apple plants to water stress: Nonstructural carbohydrate composition and regulatory role of metabolic enzymes. Tree Physiology 25: 495–504

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loescher WH (1987) Physiology and metabolism of sugar alcohols in higher plants. Physiology of Plantarum 70: 553–557

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loper JE, Lindow SE (1987) Lack of evidence for in situ fluorescent pigment production by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae on bean leaf surfaces. Phytopathology 77: 1449–1454

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller WGJ, Leveau HJ, Lindow SE (2000) Improved gfp and inaZ broad-host-range promoter-host vectors. Molecular Plant–Microbe Interactions 13: 1243–1250

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Momol MT, Ugine JD, Norelli JL, Aldwinckle HS (1999) The effect of prohexadione calcium, SAR inducers and calcium, on the control of shoot blight caused by Erwinia amylovora on apple. Acta Horticulturae 489: 601–605

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Norelli JL, Miller SS (2004) Effect of prohexadione-calcium dose level on shoot growth and fire blight in young apple trees. Plant Disease 87: 756–765

    Google Scholar 

  • Nosarszewski M, Clements AM, Downie AB, Archbold D (2004) Sorbitol dehydrogenase expression and activity during apple fruit set and early development. Physiology of Plantarum 121: 391–398

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosen HR (1929) The life history of the fire blight pathogen, Bacillus amylovorus, as related to the means of over wintering and dissemination. Arkansas Agricultural Experimental Station Bulletin No. 283, Fayetteville, Arkansas

  • Sakai A (1966) Seasonal variations in the amount of polyhydric alcohol and sugar in fruit trees. Journal of Horticultural Science 41: 207–213

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seemüller EA, Beer SV (1976) Absence of cell wall polysaccharide degradation of Erwinia amylovora. Phytopathology 66: 433–436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shtienberg D, Zilberstaine M, Oppenheim D, Levi S, Schwartz H, Kritzman G (2003) New considerations for pruning in management of fire blight in pears. Plant Disease 87: 1083–1088

    Google Scholar 

  • Suh SJ, Silo-Suh L, Woods DE, Hassett DJ, West SE, Ohman DE (1999) Effect of rpoS mutation on the stress response and expression of virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Journal of Bacteriology 181: 3890–3897

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Suleman P, Steiner PW (1994) Relationship between sorbitol and solute potential in apple shoots relative to fire blight symptom development after infection by Erwinia amylovora. Phytopathology 84: 1244–1250

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toselli M, Malaguti D, Maragoni B, Cabrini L, Bazzi C, Sponza G, Scudellari D (2002) Reduction of fire blight infection by manipulation of pear tree water status. Acta Horticulturae 590: 193–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Tullis EC (1929) Studies on the over wintering and mode of infection of the fire blight organism. Michigan Agricultural Experimental Station Bulletin No. 97

  • Vali G (1989) Principles of ice nucleation. In: Lee RE, Warren GJ Jr., Gusta LV (eds) Biological Ice Nucleation and its Application. American Phytopathology Society, St. Paul, MN, pp. 1–28

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Zwet TB (1969) Study of fire blight cankers and associated bacteria in pear. Phytopathology 59: 607–613

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Zwet TB and Beer SV (1995) Fire Blight – Its Nature, Prevention and Control; Practical Guide to Integrated Disease Management. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Information Bulletin No. 631, Washington DC

  • van der Zwet TB and Keil HL (1979) Fire Blight: A Bacterial Disease of Rosaceous Plants. USDA Handbook 510, Washington DC

  • van der Zwet TB, Zoller BG, Thomson SV (1988) Controlling fire blight of pears and apple by accurate prediction of blossom blight phase. Plant Disease 72: 464–451

    Google Scholar 

  • Vanneste JL, Eden-Green S (2000) Migration of Erwinia amylovora in host plant. In: Vanneste JL (eds) Fire Blight: The Disease and its Causative Agent, Erwinia amylovora. CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, pp. 73–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Veberic R, Vodnik D, Stampar F (2003) Carbon partitioning and seasonal dynamics of carbohydrates in the bark leaves and fruits of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cv. ‚Golden delicious’. European Journal of Horticultural Science 68: 222–226

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wei ZM, Laby RH, Zumoff CH, Bauer DW, He SY, Collmer A (1992) Harpin, elicitor of the hypersensitive response produced by the plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Science 257: 85–88

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank D. Fleminger and Prof. S. Volf for their assistance and advice. This research was supported in part by the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and by the Fruit Tree Council of Israel. Contribution number 515/05 from the Agricultural Research Organization, the Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology, Agricultural Research Organization, the Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    D. Blachinsky, D. Shtienberg, D. Weinthal & S. Manulis

  2. Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics, Faculty of Agricultural Food and Environmental Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76100, Israel

    D. Blachinsky & E. Zamski

Authors
  1. D. Blachinsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. Shtienberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. Zamski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. D. Weinthal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. S. Manulis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Shtienberg.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Blachinsky, D., Shtienberg, D., Zamski, E. et al. Effects of pear tree physiology on fire blight progression in perennial branches and on expression of pathogenicity genes in Erwinia amylovora . Eur J Plant Pathol 116, 315–324 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-006-9062-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-006-9062-z

Key words

Search

Navigation