A new bacterial blight of pomegranate caused by Pseudomonas sp. in Maharashtra, India

Abstract

In the past few decades, pomegranate production in India has greatly suffered from a highly catastrophic bacterial blight disease caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae. Various management strategies have failed to control the disease. During surveys carried out in Maharashtra, India in 2010–2015, an unusual yellow pigmented bacterium was consistently associated with pomegranate showing blight symptoms. Based on morphological, biochemical, 16S rRNA and gyrase B gene sequencing, the bacterium was identified as Pseudomonas sp. Pathogenicity was assessed both by a detached leaf assay method (in vitro) and in pomegranate plantlets (in vivo). To the best of our knowledge, we report Pseudomonas sp. as a cause of new bacterial blight disease of pomegranate in Maharashtra, India in addition to Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae.