Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Cause of Internal Brown Rot of Onion

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Abstract
From the results of biochemical tests and its utilization of 108 C sources, a pathogenic bacterium isolated from diseased onions was identified as P. aeruginosa. In inoculation studies, lesions were formed only in the leaf bases near the center of the bulb. No lesions formed in immature bulbs, and no infection developed in wound-inoculated leaves. The pattern of disease development suggested that infection occurred at harvest, but in vitro experiments failed to support this. Glucose, fructose and sucrose were the only soluble sugars in the leaf base tissue. Soluble sugars comprised up to 77% of the dry weight of the outer leaf bases; but only about 8% of the dry weight of the inner leaf bases. The importance of soluble sugars in disease development was examined and a potential mechanism of bulb infection is discussed.

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