Maritza Institute for Vegetable Crops, 32 Brezovsko shosse str., Plovdive-4003, BULGARIA
Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) causes a foliage and fruit spot disease of tomato in Bulgaria (Beleva, Sotirova, 1975). Three pathotypes of Xcv have been distinguished on the basis of virulence for tomato and pepper: the tomato pathotypes (XcvT) is virulent on tomato only, pepper pathotypes (XcvP)is virulent on pepper only, and the pepper-tomato pathotypes (XcvPT)are virulent on both pepper and tomato (Reifschneider et al., 1985; Ritchie and Dittaponghitch, 1991). No report has been published on the pathotypes that occur in Bulgaria even though bacterial spot is prevalent in most tomato field and causes losses in quality and quantity.
Diseased leaves and fruits were collected from distinct areas of tomato production between 1988 & 1991. Bacteria were isolated on PDA. The pathogenicity was confirmed by vacuum-infiltration on tomato cultivars Chico (Jones et al., 1986). The pathogen strain was identified with the standard bacterial methods (Burgey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, 1984). The pathotypes of Xcv were distinguished by the method of Cook and Stall (1969). Two pathotypes of Xcv strains were distinguished by their phenotypes on pepper and tomato. Strains of the tomato pathotypes XcvT were avirulent on all pepper plants and virulent on the tomato cultivar Ideal. Strains of the pepper-tomato pathotypes XcvPT were virulent on tomato and pepper. XcvT is widely spread in all cultivars in the Bulgarian region. Possible, the reason for weak spread of XcvPT is that Xcv was not found on pepper in Bulgaria.
Literature cited:
Burgey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, 1984.
Beleva, L. and v. Sotirova 1975. Horticultural and Viticultural Science 12:1
Cook, A. and R. Stall ? Plant Disease Reporter, 53:617-619.
Reifschenider, J.,N. Bongiolo, A. Takatsu 1985. Fitopathologia Brasileria 10:2001-204.
Ritchie, D. and D. Dittaponghitch 1991. Plant Disease 75:733-736.