BACTERIAL
DISEASES IN
PLANTS
Bacterial diseases can be grouped into four
broad categories
Vascular Wilt
Necrosis
Soft Rot
Tumour
Vascular wilt: Vascular Soft Rot: Soft rot diseases
wilt results from the Necrosis: Pathogens
are caused by pathogens
bacterial invasion of the can cause necrosis by that secrete enzymes
plant’s vascular system. secreting a toxin capable of decomposing cell
Drooping, wilting, or death (poison). Symptoms wall structures.
of the aerial plant structure include formation of occur on fleshy vegetables
may occur; examples
include bacterial wilt of
leaf spots, stem such as potato, carrot,
eggplant.
sweet corn, alfalfa, blights, or cankers.
tobacco,tomato.
Tumour: Tumour diseases are caused
by bacteria that stimulate uncontrolled
multiplication of plant cells, resulting
in the formation of abnormally large
structures.
Bacterial soft rot of vegetables
Blackleg of potato
► Bacterial soft rot is one of the most destructive diseases of vegetables.
► This disease was studied intensely in the years and immediately following 1900 by L.R.
Jones in Vermont.
► Pathogen: Bacillus carotovorus.
► About the same time a disease known as Blackleg in potato was studied by Appel in
Germany, Van Hall in Holland and Harrison in Canada.
► Blackleg is a plant disease of potato caused by pectolytic bacteria that can result in
stunting, wilting, chlorosis of leaves, necrosis of several tissues, a decline in yield, and
at times the death of the potato plant.
► The term "blackleg" originates from the typical blackening and decay of the lower
stem portion, or "leg", of the plant.
► Pathogen: Blackleg in potatoes is most commonly caused by Pectobacterium
atrosepticum. It is also associated with soft rot of potatoes.
Soft rot of potato and blackleg of potato
Disease Cycle 1. Infected seed potatoes may come from
infected fields or may become infected
during processing.
2. Both bacteria can live in tuber lenticels
without causing disease. The bacteria
become active when environmental
conditions are right, and then disease
occurs.
3. A contaminated tuber can infect growing
stems.
4. Infected stems can be symptomatic or
asymptomatic, depending on environmental
conditions, although the disease will
remain and spread to other tubers on the
same plant through the stolons.
5. 4. When infected tissues break down,
bacteria are released into the soil and
travel in soil moisture to other plants
Fire Blight of
Pear and
Apple
Early events in fire blight infection and
pathogenesis of Erwinia amylovora
This disease is very destructive on pear and to lesser
extent on apple. Quite a number of species of the family
Rosaceae.
Casual Organism/ Pathogen:
Fire blight, plant disease, caused by
the bacterium Erwinia amylovora.
Fire blight on crabapple and apple
FIRE BLIGHT ON PEAR
Fire blight on an apple twig. Note the curved
“shepherd’s crook” at the tip of the diseased twigs.
Disease Development
Angular Leaf spot, or
Black arm, of Cotton
1. Among the plant diseases caused by
bacteria, blackarm of cotton is a severe one.
2. It was first described in 1891 by Atkinson
from the United States.
3. It is a potentially destructive bacterial
disease.
4. Angular leaf spot of cotton is found in all
the major cotton-producing areas of world.
Casual organism/ pathogen
Bacterial blight is caused by a bacterium, Xanthomonas malvacearum.
Xanthomonas malvacearum.
• A gram-negative
• Motile
• Rod-shaped
• Non-spore Forming Bacterium
• With a Single polar flagellum
Symptoms
► Most common and conspicuous symptom is Angular leaf spot which
begins with dark-green, water-soaked spots, initially more clearly
visible on underside of leaf lamina.
► Black arm lesions on the stem: In older plants, the lesions can girdle
the main branches causing them to break , with loss of fruiting
branches and leaves. This phase is called as Black arm.
► Older spots become dark-brown or black and are visible on upper
surface of leaves.
► Sometimes, infection on leaf occurs as water-soaked tissue, which
later turns black, on either side of main veins. This is referred to as Vein
blight.
► Leaf petioles and stems may also become infected (cotton black
leg), which can lead to premature defoliation of the plant.
Cotton bacterial blight symptoms: angular and water-soaking spots on the leaf (1), stem
black arm (2), vein blight and petiole black arm (3), vein blight on squares (4), boll necrosis
and gummosis (5).
Disease development:
The bacteria enter the mature seed through the basal
end of the chalaza.
They over winter in this manner and as contaminants
on the surface of the seeds or in the lint attacked to it.
Volunteer seedlings are the chief source of primary
inoculum when cotton is planted after cotton. Wind
blown soil, rain and irregular water are the means of
dissemination.
Bacterial Canker of tomato
Canker is the most destructive of the bacterial
diseases affecting tomato with greater potential to kill
plants than bacterial speck or spot.
Bacterial canker is an infectious disease of
fresh-market and processing tomatoes that usually
results in reduced yields and premature fruit drop.
The white blisters, which occur on infected
tomatoes, reduce the fresh-market value of
the fruit.
Casual organism/ Pathogen:
Bacterial canker of tomato is caused by
Clavibacter michiganense.
Gram-negative
non-motile
Non-flagellate
Strictly aerobic bacteria
Disease Development
► Bacterial canker is introduced to previously uninfested areas by infected
seeds or transplants. Once established in the field, the bacteria may
survive on infested plant residue for up to three years
► Materials used in the process of raising seedlings and plants (wooden
flats, benches, and stakes) may harbor the bacteria from one season to
the next;
► The pathogen is spread within the field by windblown rain or sprinkler
irrigation.
► Bacteria ooze from cankers in wet or humid weather; then when the
rain splashes on the cankers, it spreads the bacteria to other plant
► Mechanical cultivation and hand harvesting can also spread the
bacteria (this is especially important of fresh-market crops).
Bacterial canker in tomato(Microorganisms)
