Isolation and Characterization of Phages Useful for IdentifyingPseudomonas syringaepv.tomato

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Abstract
Sixteen phages were isolated from tomato field soil and plant debris with 6 P. syringae pv. [pathovar] tomato strains as the propagating hosts. Strains (55) of P. syringae pv. tomato and 51 strains from other pathovars of P. syringae were tested for lytic responses to these phages. Phage sensitivity patterns did not change with the time or after passage through tomato plants. Four of the phages, PT1, PT18, PT20 and PT32, had a high degree of specificity for P. syringae pv. tomato. PT32, for example, lysed 90% of the virulent P. syringae pv. tomato strains tested, but < 4% of the strains from other pathovars of P. syringae. None of the isolates of P. syringae pv. syringae from tomato and less than half of the avirulent strains of P. syringae pv. tomato tested were lysed by these phages. Phages PT1 and PT18, which have isometric heads and long, striated, noncontractile tails, were members of morphological group B1. Phages PT20 and PT32, which have isometric heads and short, noncontractile tails, were members of morphological group C1. When used in combination with selected physiological characters [D(.sbd.) tartrate, erythritol and DL-lactate utilization and polypectate degradation], phage sensitivity patterns clearly distinguished virulent strains of P. syringae pv. tomato from the other pathovars of P. syringae that were tested.

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