Scanning Electron Microscopy of Apple Blossoms Colonized byErwinia amylovoraandE. herbicola

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Abstract
Based on scanning electron microscopy of apple blossoms sprayed with suspensions of E. herbicola (strains 159 and 252) and E. amylovora (strain 273), we found these strains multiplied mostly on the stigmatic surface. E. herbicola 252, which effectively inhibits the development of fire blight, and E. amylovora 273 occupied similar niches on stigmas. Bacterial colonies with distinct cells occurred in regions between papillae and in underlying tissue. E. herbicola 159, a less effective antagonist of E. amylovora, was more intimately associated with the deteriorating stigmatic cuticle. Bacterial cells usually developed to produce indistinct amorphous aggregates. We suggest that the effective antagonist restricts the pathogen on apple flowers by competing for the same site on the stigmatic surface.

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