Survival of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri in Leaf Lesions Under Tropical Environmental Conditions and Simulated Splash Dispersal of Inoculum.

ABSTRACT Asiatic citrus canker (ACC) is a severe disease of several citrus species and hybrids in many tropical and subtropical areas. Populations of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri in leaf and twig lesions are the most important inoculum source for secondary infections. In areas with a marked winter season (e.g., Argentina and Japan), low temperatures induce a decrease of 10(2) to 10(4) in population sizes in lesions, thus creating a discontinuity in the X. axonopodis pv. citri life cycle. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of X. axonopodis pv. citri populations in leaf lesions exposed to the mild winter temperatures prevailing in a tropical environment. Internal X. axonopodis pv. citri population levels in Mexican lime leaf lesions reached 10(6) to 10(7) CFU lesion(-1) whatever the lesion size. These densities, however, were not strongly negatively affected by winter temperatures prevailing under experimental conditions. The estimated decrease in internal X. axonopodis pv. citri population sizes was approximately 10-fold. When exposed to 35 mm h(-1) of simulated rainfall, internal population sizes decreased over time by approximately 1 log unit for lesions 1 and 2 months old, but did not for older lesions. A microscopic examination indicated that lignin-like compounds are present in lesions more than 6 months old. The slow decrease over time of X. axonopodis pv. citri population sizes in leaf lesions may be the balanced result of defense reactions by the host at late stages of disease development, and the concomitant multiplication of the pathogen at the margin of old lesions. We conclude that the epidemiological significance of overwintered leaf lesions in the tropics is higher than that reported in other areas.

Extracellular polysaccharides from Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis interact with cassava cell walls during pathogenesis.

The location of lipopolysaccharides produced by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis during pathogenesis on cassava (Manihot esculenta) was determined by fluorescence and electron microscopy immunolabeling with monoclonal antibodies. During the early stages of infection, pathogen lipopolysaccharides were detected on the outer surface of the bacterial envelope and in areas of the plant middle lamellae in the vicinity of the pathogen. Later in the infection process, lipopolysaccharide-specific antibodies bound to areas where the plant cell wall was heavily degraded. Lipopolysaccharides were not detected in the fibrillar matrix filling intercellular spaces of infected cassava leaves. Monoclonal antibodies specific for the exopolysaccharide xanthan side chain labeled the bacteria, the fibrillar matrix, and portions of the host cell wall. The association of Xanthomonas lipopolysaccharides with host cell walls during plant infection is consistent with a role of these bacterial extracellular polysaccharides in the infection process.

Pathological and Molecular Characterization of Xanthomonas campestris Strains Causing Diseases of Cassava (Manihot esculenta).

Fifty-one strains representing Xanthomonas campestris pv. manihotis and cassavae and different pathovars occurring on plants of the family Euphorbiaceae were characterized by ribotyping with a 16S+23S rRNA probe of Escherichia coli and by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis with a plasmid probe from X. campestris pv. manihotis. Pathogenicity tests were performed on cassava (Manihot esculenta). Histological comparative studies were conducted on strains of two pathovars of X. campestris (vascular and mesophyllic) that attack cassava. Our results indicated that X. campestris pv. manihotis and cassavae have different modes of action in the host and supplemented the taxonomic data on restriction fragment length polymorphism that clearly separate the two pathovars. The plasmid probe could detect multiple restriction fragment length polymorphisms among strains of the pathovar studied. Ribotyping provides a useful tool for rapid identification of X. campestris pathovars on cassava.