Weeds as hosts of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens, causal agent of bean bacterial wilt

Abstract

The knowledge of the ecological niches of survival of phytopathogenic bacteria is essential for the efficient management of phytobacterioses. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the main legume cultivated for human consumption worldwide, being an important component of the diet of many developing countries. Bean bacterial wilt, incited by Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (Cff), is one of the main diseases of bean in Brazil, and little is known about its host range. This research project will be the first developed to evaluate the survival of Cff in the phylloplane of weeds. To achieve this objective, a Cff strain, resistant to rifampicin, will be used, and the quantification of the bacterium in the weeds will be performed in a semi-selective culture medium. The experiments will be conducted and repeated during 2018 and 2019 to determine how climatic conditions influence the survival capacity of Cff. With these results we expect to identify which are the main weeds hosts of Cff for the Brazilian conditions, information of high importance for the most efficient management of bean bacterial wilt. (AU)