First Report of Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae Causing Bacterial Leaf Blight of Carrot in Mauritius

Management of bacterial blight of carrots by phenolic compounds treatment

Bacterial blight is a serious disease of carrot production worldwide. Under favorable conditions, the causal organism Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae causes serious loss especially in seed production because of its seed-borne character. Unlike fungal diseases, the treatment of bacterial diseases is limited and methods such as hot water or sodium hypochlorite (bleach) treatment are mainly used by seed companies. Here, we compared the efficacy of hot water treatment, sodium hypochlorite treatment and treatment with three phenolic compounds-carvacrol, thymol and eugenol, to eliminate Xanthomonas growth in vitro and subsequently in vivo on seeds of Xhc low, medium and highly infested carrot seed lots. The complete elimination of Xhc from germinated plants was obtained only for Xhc low infested seed lot with 1% sodium hypochlorite and carvacrol solutions in concentrations of 0.0196%- 0.313%. The significant reduction of Xhc presence in germinated plants of Xhc medium infested seed lot was achieved with 1% sodium hypochlorite treatment and hot water treatment. However, hot water treatment resulted in a significant reduction of seed germination percentage as well. Considering the elimination of Xhc infection from germinated plants and the effect on seed germination and plant vigor, 0.0196% carvacrol solution was suggested as an alternative to 1% sodium hypochlorite treatment regarding additional costs related to the liquidation of used treated water and to hot water treatment that has been proved to be insufficient to obtain disease-free plants.

Genomic Analysis of the Carrot Bacterial Blight Pathogen Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae in Korea

Bacterial leaf blight of carrots caused by Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae (Xhc) is an important worldwide seed-borne disease. In 2012 and 2013, symptoms similar to bacterial leaf blight were found in carrot farms in Jeju Island, Korea. The phenotypic characteristics of the Korean isolation strains were similar to the type strain of Xhc. Pathogenicity showed symptoms on the 14th day after inoculation on carrot plants. Identification by genetic method was multi-position sequencing of the isolated strain JJ2001 was performed using four genes (danK, gyrB, fyuA, and rpoD). The isolated strain was confirmed to be most similar to Xhc M081. Furthermore, in order to analyze the genetic characteristics of the isolated strain, whole genome analysis was performed through the next-generation sequencing method. The draft genome size of JJ2001 is 5,443,372 bp, which contains 63.57% of G + C and has 4,547 open reading frames. Specifically, the classification of pathovar can be confirmed to be similar to that of the host lineage. Plant pathogenic factors and determinants of the majority of the secretion system are conserved in strain JJ2001. This genetic information enables detailed comparative analysis in the pathovar stage of pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, these findings provide basic data for the distribution and diagnosis of Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae, a major plant pathogen that infects carrots in Korea.

Xanthomonas hortorum - beyond gardens: Current taxonomy, genomics, and virulence repertoires

TAXONOMY

Bacteria; Phylum Proteobacteria; Class Gammaproteobacteria; Order Lysobacterales (earlier synonym of Xanthomonadales); Family Lysobacteraceae (earlier synonym of Xanthomonadaceae); Genus Xanthomonas; Species X. hortorum; Pathovars: pv. carotae, pv. vitians, pv. hederae, pv. pelargonii, pv. taraxaci, pv. cynarae, and pv. gardneri.

HOST RANGE

Xanthomonas hortorum affects agricultural crops, and horticultural and wild plants. Tomato, carrot, artichoke, lettuce, pelargonium, ivy, and dandelion were originally described as the main natural hosts of the seven separate pathovars. Artificial inoculation experiments also revealed other hosts. The natural and experimental host ranges are expected to be broader than initially assumed. Additionally, several strains, yet to be assigned to a pathovar within X. hortorum, cause diseases on several other plant species such as peony, sweet wormwood, lavender, and oak-leaf hydrangea.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CONTROL

X. hortorum pathovars are mainly disseminated by infected seeds (e.g., X. hortorum pvs carotae and vitians) or cuttings (e.g., X. hortorum pv. pelargonii) and can be further dispersed by wind and rain, or mechanically transferred during planting and cultivation. Global trade of plants, seeds, and other propagating material constitutes a major pathway for their introduction and spread into new geographical areas. The propagules of some pathovars (e.g., X. horturum pv. pelargonii) are spread by insect vectors, while those of others can survive in crop residues and soils, and overwinter until the following growing season (e.g., X. hortorum pvs vitians and carotae). Control measures against X. hortorum pathovars are varied and include exclusion strategies (i.e., by using certification programmes and quarantine regulations) to multiple agricultural practices such as the application of phytosanitary products. Copper-based compounds against X. hortorum are used, but the emergence of copper-tolerant strains represents a major threat for their effective management. With the current lack of efficient chemical or biological disease management strategies, host resistance appears promising, but is not without challenges. The intrastrain genetic variability within the same pathovar poses a challenge for breeding cultivars with durable resistance.

USEFUL WEBSITES

https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/XANTGA, https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/XANTCR, https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/XANTPE, https://www.euroxanth.eu, http://www.xanthomonas.org, http://www.xanthomonas.org/dokuwiki.

Distribution of Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae Populations in Naturally Infested Carrot Seed Lots

Bacterial blight of carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus), caused by the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae, is a common seedborne disease of carrot wherever the crop is grown. Carrot seed lots were evaluated to determine the variability and distribution of populations of X. hortorum pv. carotae among individual carrot seeds. Twenty-four carrot seed lots harvested between 2014 and 2016 were subjected to a bulk seed wash dilution-plate assay to obtain mean X. hortorum pv. carotae levels. Mean infestation levels resulting from the bulk seed wash assays among the 24 seed lots ranged from 1.2 × 10⁷ and 9.6 × 10⁸ CFU/g seed and averaged 3.6 × 10⁸ CFU/g seed. Individual seeds from the same 24 lots were also tested with a scaled-down wash assay of individual seeds. Among the 1,380 seeds that were individually assayed, 475 X. hortorum pv. carotae-positive seeds were detected (34.4%). Rates of X. hortorum pv. carotae detection on individual seed in seed lots ranged from 0% (not detected) to 97.9%, and the mean and median X. hortorum pv. carotae population on an individual seed was 8.3 × 10⁴ and 6.3 × 10¹ CFU/seed, respectively. Among individual seeds, X. hortorum pv. carotae populations ranged from 2 (the limit of detection of the assay) to 3.6 × 10⁷ CFU/seed. CFU data for 23 of the 24 seed lots were nonnormal and the Log-Logistic (3P) distribution best described populations of X. hortorum pv. carotae recovered from individual carrot seeds. The influence and impact of nonnormal distributions of X. hortorum pv. carotae in commercial carrot seed lots on seed health tests, seedborne transmission, and bacterial blight epidemiology requires further study.