INTERACTION BETWEEN XYLELLA FASTIDIOSA AND CURTOBACTERIUM FLACCUMFACIENS, AN ENDOPHYTIC BACTERIUM

• Author(s): Azevedo, Jo?o; Hartung, J.; Lacava, Paulo; Araujo, Welington; Li, Wen; Miller, Thomas;
• Abstract: Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is a fastidious gram-negative, xylem-limited bacterium that causes diseases in many crops of economic importance, such as grape (Pierces disease), almond, peach, coffee, plum and citrus. Xf can infect all known Citrus sinensis cultivars and causes Citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC). One major endophyte isolated from CVC-asymptomatic plants is the bacterium Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens (Cf). Catharanthus roseus (Cr) plants were inoculated together with Cf and Xf and in a similar experiment, plants were inoculated alone with Xf and Cf. Three phytopathology parameters, including number of flowers, height of plants, and disease symptoms were evaluated. Primers for Cf were designed to detect this endophytic bacterium in plant tissue when inoculated with Xf. These primers were able to detect Cf in the presence of Xf after inoculation in Cr. In planta interaction studies where Cf was inoculated together with Xf showed that there was an inhibition of disease symptoms caused by Xf.
• Publication Date: Dec 2005
• Journal: 2005 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium