Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Olive knot and its pathogens

  • Published:
Australasian Plant Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Olive knot, caused by a pathogen or pathogens within the group of bacterial pathogens currently known as Pseudomonas savastanoi, is described. The ecology, transmission and methods of control of the pathogens are discussed. Strategies to minimise the effects of infection are recommended and these depend on attention to specific details in programs for pruning, irrigation and use of fertiliser. Introduction of the pathogens into previously olive knot-free countries is most likely to occur through the importation of infected nursery stock. There is no cost-effective way to control knot in olive groves by using currently available bactericidal sprays. The use of known disease-resistant cultivars and future breeding programs to improve resistance will lead to effective control in the long term. The distribution of the pathogen in Australasia is re-examined in the light of recent investigations of host specificity.

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

References

  • Adam DB, Pugsley AT (1934) Bacterial diseases in Victoria. Journal of Agriculture, Victoria 32, 304–311, 323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baratta B, Di Marco L (1981) Control of olive knot attacks on the cultivar Nocellara del Belice. Informatore Fitopatologico 31, 115–116 [English abstract].

    Google Scholar 

  • Benjama A, Walali L, Jananti L, Moukhli A (1987) Field reaction of different varieties of olive (Olea europaea L.) to olive knot disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. savastanoi (E.F Smith) Stevens. Third International Working Group on Pseudomonas syringae pathovars. Lisbon, Portugal, 1–4 September 1987. pp. 41–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradbury JF (1986) ‘Guide to plant pathogenic bacteria.’ (Wallingford, UK: CAB International)

    Google Scholar 

  • Braithwaite M, Alexander BJR, Young JM, Ganev S (1999) Olive knot disease in New Zealand. In ‘Proceedings of the 12th Australasian Plant Pathology Society Conference’. Canberra, 1999. (Ed. L. Morin) p. 157. (Arawang Communication Group: Canberra)

    Google Scholar 

  • Caponero A, Contesini AM, Iacobellis NS (1995) Population diversity of Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi on olive and oleander. Plant Pathology 44, 848–855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CMI Distribution maps of plant diseases (1987) Pseudomonas syringae pv. savastanoi (E.F. Smith)Young, Dye and Wilkie. Map 135 ed. 4. (Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Kew, England)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dye DW (1956) Oleander knot (Pseudomonas savastanoi (Erw. Smith) Stevens). New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology 38A, 406–411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ercolani GL (1970) Presenza epifitica di Pseudomonas savastanoi (E. F. Smith)Stevens sull’olivo, in Puglia. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 10, 130–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ercolani GL (1978) Pseudomonas savastanoi and other bacteria colonizing the surface of olive leaves in the field. Journal of General Microbiology 109, 245–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabriel DW (1999) Why do pathogens carry avirulence genes? Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 55, 205–214. doi: 10.1006/PMPP.1999.0230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gardan L, Bollet C, Abu Ghorrah M, Grimont F, Grimont PAD (1992) DNA relatedness among the pathovar strains of Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi Janse (1982) and proposal of Pseudomonas savastanoi sp. nov. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 42, 606–612.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Iacobellis NS (2001) Olive knot. In ‘Encyclopaedia of plant pathology’. Vol. 2. (Eds OC Malloy, TD Murray) pp. 713–715. (John Wiley & Sons)

  • Janse JD (1982) Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi (ex Smith) subsp. nov, nom. rev., the bacterium causing excrescences on Oleaceae and Nerium oleander L. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 32, 166–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janse JD (1991) Pathovar discrimination within Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi using whole cell fatty acids and pathogenicity as criteria. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 14, 79–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keen NT (1996) Bacterial determinants of pathogenicity and avirulence — an overview. In ‘Biology of plant-microbe interactions’. Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, Knoxville, 14–19 July, 1996. (Eds G Stacey B Mullin, PM Gresshoff) pp. 143–152. (Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions: St Paul, MN)

    Google Scholar 

  • King EO, Ward MK, Raney DE (1954) Two simple media for the demonstration of pyocyanin and fluorescin. The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 44, 301–307.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krueger WH, Teviotdale BL, Schroth MN, Metzidakis IT, Voyiatzis DG (1999) Improvements in the control of olive knot disease. Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Olive Growing. Chania, Crete, Greece, 22–26 September 1997, Vol. 2. (Eds IT Metzidakis, DG Voyiatzis). Acta Horticulturae 474, 567–571.

  • Marcelo A, Fernandes M, Fatima Potes M, Serrano JF (1999) Reactions of some cultivars of Olea europaea L. to experimental inoculations with Pseudomonas syringae pv. savastanoi. Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Olive Growing, Chania, Crete, Greece, 22–26 September 1997, Vol. 2. (Eds IT Metzidakis, DG Voyiatzis). Acta Horticulturae 474, 581–584.

  • Moffett ML (1983) Bacterial plant pathogens recorded in Australia. In ‘Plant bacterial diseases’. (Eds PC Fahy, GJ Persley) pp. 317–336. (Academic Press, Australia)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mugnai L, Giovannetti L, Ventura S, Surico G (1994) The grouping of strains of Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi by DNA restriction fingerprinting. Journal of Phytopathology 142, 209–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noble RJ, Hynes HJ, McCleery FC, Birmingham WA (1935). Plant diseases recorded in New South Wales. New South Wales Department of Agriculture Science Bulletin No. 46.

  • Osman WA, Tarabeih AM, Michail SH (1980a) Studies on the distribution of olive knot disease induced by Pseudomonas savastanoi in Iraq. Mesopotamia Journal of Agriculture 15, 235–243 [English abstract]

    Google Scholar 

  • Osman WA, Tarabeih AM, Michail SH (1980b). Studies on olive knot disease in Iraq with reference to response of different cultivars. Mesopotamia Journal of Agriculture 15, 245–261 [English abstract]

    Google Scholar 

  • Panagopoulos CG (1993) Olive knot disease in Greece. Bulletin OEPP EPPO Bulletin. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation 23, 417–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruffaldi GB (1972) Olive pruning. Informatore Agrario 28, 7807–7809 [English abstract]

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampson PJ, Walker J (1982) ‘An annotated list of plant diseases in Tasmania.’ (Department of Agriculture, Tasmania)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroth MN, Hildebrand DC, O’Reilly HJ (1968) Off-flavor of olives from trees with olive knot tumors. Phytopathology 58, 524–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroth MN, Osgood JW, Miller TD (1973) Quantitative assessment of the effect of the olive knot disease on olive yield and quality. Phytopathology 63, 1064–1065.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sisto A, Iacobellis NS (1999) Olive knot disease: pathogenic and epidemiological aspects and defence strategies. Olivo and Olio. 2, 32–38 [English abstract]

    Google Scholar 

  • Sisto A, Cantore P, Iacobellis N (2001) Preliminary results on the response of olive cultivars to artificial inoculation with Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi. In ‘Proceedings of the 11th Congress of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union and 3rd Congress of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Fitopatologia’. Evora, Portugal, 17–20 September 2001. pp. 240–242.

  • Surico G (1977) Histological observations on tumours of olive knot. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 16, 109–125 [English abstract].

    Google Scholar 

  • Surico G, Iacobellis NS, Sisto A (1985) Studies on the role of indole-3-acetic acid and cytokinins in the formation of knots on olive and oleander plants by Pseudomonas syringae pv. savastanoi. Physiological Plant Pathology 26, 309–320.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Teviotdale BL (1994) Diseases of olive, In ‘Olive production manual’. (Eds L Ferguson, GS Sibbett, GC Martin) p. 107. University of California Publication No. 3353.

  • Varvaro L, Surico G (1978) Multiplication of Pseudomonas savastanoi (E.F. Smith) Stevensin olive (Olea europaea L.) tissues. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 17, 179–186 [English abstract].

    Google Scholar 

  • Warcup JH, Talbot PHB (1981) ‘Host-pathogen index of plant diseases in South Australia.’ (Waite Agricultural Research Institute, University of Adelaide)

  • Young JM (1987) Orchard management and bacterial diseases of stonefruit. New Zealand Journal of Experimental Agriculture 15, 257–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young JM, Triggs CM (1994) Evaluation of determinative tests for pathovars of Pseudomonas syringae van Hall 1902. The Journal of Applied Bacteriology 77, 195–207.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand

    J. M. Young

Authors
  1. J. M. Young
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. M. Young.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Young, J.M. Olive knot and its pathogens. Australasian Plant Pathology 33, 33–39 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1071/AP03074

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/AP03074

Additional keywords

Search

Navigation