Omics, epidemiology and integrated approach for the coexistence with bacterial canker of kiwifruit, caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae

Abstract

Bacterial canker of kiwifruit, caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, is a destructive disease found in all major areas of production of green-fleshed (Actinidia deliciosa) and yellow-fleshed (A. chinensis) kiwifruit of the world (i.e, Europe, China, New Zealand and Chile). A series of studies and field trials concerning epidemiology, agronomical techniques, new bactericides effectiveness as well as molecular typing analysis, genomic and proteomic, allowed us to elucidate the cycle of disease of the pathogen, to dissect its main genomic features, to point out the plant proteins involved in resistance/tolerance to the bacterium, to modify some basic agronomical techniques and to propose new compounds that currently, at least in the province of Latina and Rome, Italy, allow the farmers to coexist with the pathogen by reaching the full yield and quality of the crop as before the appearance of the disease.