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Fire blight distribution in Georgia and characterization of selected Erwinia amylovora isolates

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Abstract

Since its initial appearance in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region in 2016, fire blight has spread to several other regions of Georgia during the years 2017–2018, especially affecting the eastern part of the country. The causative agent of the disease, Gram-negative bacterium Erwinia amylovora, was confirmed by PCR in hundreds of instances on different organs of symptomatic apple, quince and pear trees. Isolates recovered from diseased plants in Georgia display the typical biochemical and physiological properties of the species. Sequencing of the CRISPR regions revealed the presence of two distinct genotypes that can directly or indirectly be traced back to those that originally colonized Europe in the second part of the twentieth century. Genetic and phenotypic differences among the isolates analyzed, together with the rapid spread of the disease across the country, are suggestive of multiple introduction events that occurred in recent years through import of diseased plant material.

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Acknowledgements

We thank National Food Agency, Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia and particularly Dr. Bezhan Rekhviashvili for providing with samples of plant materials. Dr. Dali Gaganidze, Dr. Tinatin Sadunishvili and Ms Mariam Aznarashvili are funded by the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRNSFG), grant number FR-19-22524. The participation of Dr. Fabio Rezzonico and Mr. Simon Carnal to this work was funded under project number IZ08Z0_177515 by the r4d Programme of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sergi Durmishidze Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia

    Dali Gaganidze, Tinatin Sadunishvili, Mariam Aznarashvili & Manana Gurielidze

  2. State Laboratory of Agriculture of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia

    Mariam Aznarashvili, Ekaterine Abashidze & Manana Zubadalashvili

  3. Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Campus Reidbach, 8820, Wädenswil, Switzerland

    Simon Carnal & Fabio Rezzonico

Authors
  1. Dali Gaganidze
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  2. Tinatin Sadunishvili
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  3. Mariam Aznarashvili
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  4. Ekaterine Abashidze
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  5. Manana Gurielidze
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  6. Simon Carnal
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  7. Fabio Rezzonico
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  8. Manana Zubadalashvili
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Correspondence to Tinatin Sadunishvili.

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Gaganidze, D., Sadunishvili, T., Aznarashvili, M. et al. Fire blight distribution in Georgia and characterization of selected Erwinia amylovora isolates. J Plant Pathol 103 (Suppl 1), 121–129 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42161-020-00700-5

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