Species composition of the bacterial population colonizing tomato flowers

Katya Vasileva, Daniela Ganeva and Nevena Bogatzevska

Abstract: The pathogenic, epiphytic and endophytic bacterial population colonizing tomato flowers in Bulgaria were heterogeneous, including typical pathogens in the host causative agents of bacterial speck and spot and opportunistic pathogens members of the genus Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Acinetobacter, Sphingomonas, Pantoea, Serracia. In the phase mass flowering, was observed a death of flowers as a result of ring shape necrosis of the stalk caused by the species Xanthomonas vesicatoria T pathotype, race T2 and X. euvesicatoria PT2. Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato R1, X. vesicatoria Т2 and X. euvesicatoria Т2 developed symptomless on flowers of healthy plants. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia colonized deformed and wilted flowers with ring shapes necrosis. Acinetobacter baumannii and Sphingomonas sanguinis caused the necrotic areas of the periphery and the base of the sepals. Pantoea dispersa and Pseudomonas putida formed oval dark brown spots without a chlorotic halo along the pedicels. Serratia odorifera occupied the withered flowers, which are with ring shapes necrosis. A. baumannii and S. sanguinis inhibited and suppress of pathogenic species, causative agents of bacterial speck and spot. The presence of bacterial cells of the species X. vesicatoria and X. euvesicatoria inside the stigma was indirect infection of tomato seeds. Establishing the species composition of the typical and opportunistic bacteria in the flower microbiota will clarify the mechanism of seed infection.

Keywords: flowers; opportunistic bacteria; pathogenic; tomato

Date published: 2022-08-19