Interaction of Pseudomonas syringae and Freezing in Bacterial Canker on Excised Peach Twigs

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A test tube incubation technique was used to study the effect of freezing on the development of bacterial canker symptoms in excised peach [Prunus persica] twigs. Bark cankers with a characteristic water-soaked appearance and sour-sap odor developed only on twigs that were frozen at -10.degree. C after inoculation with P. syringae and then incubated at 15.degree. C; neither freezing nor inoculation alone produced cankers. A brown discoloration noted in the xylem of twigs after inoculation was not correlated with development of bark cankers. Twigs of 8 peach cultivars [''Ferris'', ''Tennessee Natural'', ''152AI-2'', ''Boone County'', ''NA-8'', ''Halford'', ''Rutgers Red Leaf'' and ''Nemaguard''] were compared for susceptibility to bacterial canker, and significant differences were found among the cultivars. Longer cankers developed on twigs collected when trees were dormant rather than on twigs collected when the chilling requirement had been satisfied. Bacterial canker on peach twigs results from an interaction between infection by P. syringae and freeze injury.

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: