Floral traits affecting fire blight infection and management

Abstract

Erwinia amylovora, the causative agent of fire blight, colonizes primarily the flowers of the sub-family Maloideae. Commercially important fruit tree species such as apple (Malus domestica) and pear (Pyrus communis) are also affected by the disease. Epiphytic bacterial populations develop on the stigma, from where the pathogen colonizes the hypanthium, aided by moisture. Under favorable conditions, nectar provides a rich medium for growth, which allows bacterial invasion of tissues through the stomata of the nectary. The paper reviews various floral traits that may play a role in the onset and progression of the infection. Flower age, stigma morphology and longevity, the size of epiphytic bacterial population, morphology of the hypanthium, anatomy of the nectary, dynamics of nectar secretion, as well as the volume, concentration and composition of the nectar are discussed in detail, comparing traits of susceptible versus tolerant apple and pear cultivars. Management programs, aiming at the suppression of E. amylovora on floral parts by antibiotics, chemical compounds, natural substances or biological control agents, are also discussed.