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Biochemical and genetical analysis reveal a new clade of biovar 3 Dickeya spp. strains isolated from potato in Europe

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Abstract

Sixty-five potato strains of the soft rot-causing plant pathogenic bacterium Dickeya spp., and two strains from hyacinth, were characterised using biochemical assays, REP-PCR genomic finger printing, 16S rDNA and dnaX sequence analysis. These methods were compared with nineteen strains representing six Dickeya species which included the type strains. A group of twenty-two potato strains isolated between 2005-2007 in the Netherlands, Poland, Finland and Israel were characterised as belonging to biovar 3. They were 100% identical in REP-PCR, dnaX and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. In a polyphasic analysis they formed a new clade different from the six Dickeya species previously described, and may therefore constitute a new species. The strains were very similar to a Dutch strain from hyacinth. On the basis of dnaX sequences and biochemical assays, all other potato strains isolated in Europe between 1979 and 1994 were identified as D. dianthicola (biovar 1 and 7), with the exception of two German strains classified as D. dieffenbachia (biovar 2) and D. dadantii (biovar 3), respectively. Potato strains from Peru were classified as D. dadantii, from Australia as D. zeae and from Taiwan as D. chrysanthemi bv. parthenii, indicating that different Dickeya species are found in association with potato.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been financially supported by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture and Food Safety (project BO-06-004-2.1). The authors are very grateful to M. Gorecki for his valuable advice on the cluster analysis with the PAUP software programme. Thanks are due to Dr L. Tsror and Dr M. Pirhonen for providing strains and to Dr. C. Bull for critically reviewing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822, Gdansk, Poland

    Monika Sławiak & Grzegorz Grabe

  2. Plant Research International, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Monika Sławiak, Jose R. C. M. van Beckhoven, Adrianus G. C. L. Speksnijder, Robert Czajkowski, Grzegorz Grabe & Jan M. van der Wolf

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  1. Monika Sławiak
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  2. Jose R. C. M. van Beckhoven
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  6. Jan M. van der Wolf
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Correspondence to Jan M. van der Wolf.

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Sławiak, M., van Beckhoven, J.R.C.M., Speksnijder, A.G.C.L. et al. Biochemical and genetical analysis reveal a new clade of biovar 3 Dickeya spp. strains isolated from potato in Europe. Eur J Plant Pathol 125, 245–261 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-009-9479-2

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