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Bacterial wilt symptoms are impacted by host age and involve net downward movement of Erwinia tracheiphila in muskmelon

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Abstract

Cucurbit bacterial wilt, caused by Erwinia tracheiphila, is a devastating disease of cucurbit crops in the Midwest and Northeast U.S. Current management of bacterial wilt relies primarily on insecticide applications to control striped and spotted cucumber beetles (Acalymma vittatum and Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi, respectively), which vector E. tracheiphila. Development of alternative management strategies is constrained by a lack of understanding of bacterial wilt etiology. The impact of host age on rate on symptom development and extent of bacterial movement in the xylem of muskmelon (Cucumis melo cv. Athena) was evaluated following wound inoculation of 2- to 8-week-old plants in growth chamber experiments. Wilting occurred more rapidly in plants after inoculating E. tracheiphila into 2- or 4-week-old plants than 6- or 8-week-old plants. Recovery of viable cells from stem segments revealed that vascular spread of E. tracheiphila was more extensive below than above the inoculation point. These findings provide experimental evidence that host age impacts the rate of symptom development in cucurbit bacterial wilt and that movement of the xylem-inhabiting pathogen E. tracheiphila within muskmelon plants occurs primarily in the downward direction.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) Program Grant (2012-51181-20295) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). We thank Jean C. Batzer and Xiaoyu Zhang for technical advice and assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Q. Liu, G. A. Beattie & Mark L. Gleason

  2. Ocean Spray Cranberries, 1 Ocean Spray Dr., Middleboro, MA, 02349, USA

    E. Saalau Rojas

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  1. Q. Liu
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  2. G. A. Beattie
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  3. E. Saalau Rojas
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  4. Mark L. Gleason
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Correspondence to Mark L. Gleason.

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Liu, Q., Beattie, G.A., Saalau Rojas, E. et al. Bacterial wilt symptoms are impacted by host age and involve net downward movement of Erwinia tracheiphila in muskmelon. Eur J Plant Pathol 151, 803–810 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-018-1418-7

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