''Pectobacterium carotovorum'' is a

bacterium Bacteria (; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the ...

of the family

Pectobacteriaceae The ''Pectobacteriaceae'' are a family (biology), family of Gram-negative bacteria which largely consist of plant pathogens. This family is a member of the order Enterobacterales in the class Gammaproteobacteria of the phylum Pseudomonadota. The ...

; it used to be a member of the genus ''

Erwinia ''Erwinia'' is a genus of Enterobacterales bacteria containing mostly plant pathogenic species which was named for the famous plant pathologist, Erwin Frink Smith. It contains Gram-negative bacteria related to ''Escherichia coli'', '' Shigella ...

''. The species is a

plant pathogen Plant diseases are diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like orga ...

with a diverse

host range In biology and medicine, a host is a larger organism that harbours a smaller organism; whether a parasite, parasitic, a mutualism (biology), mutualistic, or a commensalism, commensalist ''guest'' (symbiont). The guest is typically provided with ...

, including many agriculturally and scientifically important plant species. It produces pectolytic enzymes that hydrolyze pectin between individual plant cells. This causes the cells to separate, a disease plant pathologists term bacterial soft rot. Specifically, it causes beet vascular necrosis and blackleg of potato and other vegetables (hence the name ''carotovora'' – "carrot-eater"), as well as slime flux on many different tree species. Currently, there are four described subspecies of ''P. carotovorum'' (, , , and ). This review... ...cite this study: This bacterium is a ubiquitous plant pathogen with a wide host range (carrot, potato, tomato, leafy greens, squash and other cucurbits, onion, green peppers, African violets, etc.), able to cause disease in almost any plant tissue it invades. It is a very economically important pathogen in terms of post-harvest losses, and a common cause of decay in stored fruits and vegetables. Decay caused by ''P. carotovora'' is often referred to as "bacterial soft rot" though this may also be caused by other bacteria. Most plants or plant parts can resist invasion by the bacteria, unless some type of wound is present. High humidity and temperatures around favor development of decay. The cells become highly motile near this temperature () when fructose is present. Mutants can be produced which are less virulent. Virulence factors include:

pectinase Pectinases are a group of enzymes that breaks down pectin, a polysaccharide found in plant cell walls, through hydrolysis, transelimination and deesterification reactions. Commonly referred to as pectic enzymes, they include pectolyase, pectozym ...

cellulase Cellulase (; systematic name 4-β-D-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase) is any of several enzymes produced chiefly by fungi, bacteria, and protozoans that catalyze cellulolysis, the decomposition of cellulose and of some related polysaccharides: : Endo ...

s, (which degrade plant cell walls), and also

protease A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalysis, catalyzes proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products ...

lipase In biochemistry, lipase ( ) refers to a class of enzymes that catalyzes the hydrolysis of fats. Some lipases display broad substrate scope including esters of cholesterol, phospholipids, and of lipid-soluble vitamins and sphingomyelinases; howe ...

s, xylanases, and

nuclease In biochemistry, a nuclease (also archaically known as nucleodepolymerase or polynucleotidase) is an enzyme capable of cleaving the phosphodiester bonds that link nucleotides together to form nucleic acids. Nucleases variously affect single and ...

s (along with the normal virulence factors for pathogens – Fe acquisition,

lipopolysaccharide Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), now more commonly known as endotoxin, is a collective term for components of the outermost membrane of the cell envelope of gram-negative bacteria, such as '' E. coli'' and ''Salmonella'' with a common structural archit ...

(LPS) integrity, multiple global regulatory systems).

Management

KENGAP, partners of the

CABI CABI (in various spellings) is an abbreviation that may refer to: * Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI, sometimes also referred to as CAB International), a UK-based nonprofit inter-governmental organisation for scientific res ...

-led programme, Plantwise have several recommendations for the management of ''P. carotovora'' including; washing hands and disinfecting tools regularly during and after harvesting, avoiding harvesting in warm and moist conditions. They also recommend frequent irrigation during head formation should be avoided to allow heads to dry and planting on ridges, raised beds or well drained soils prevents water logging around the plants. Plantwise partners also recommend thorough washing and disinfection of crates for to prevent post-harvest losses and that crop rotation with leguminous crops and cereals is practiced.

Gas sensor A gas detector is a device that detects the presence of gases in a volume of space, often as part of a safety system. A gas detector can sound an alarm to operators in the area where the leak is occurring, giving them the opportunity to leave. Th ...

s can be used to detect the pathogen in storage. Specifically

metal–oxide–semiconductor upright=1.3, Two power MOSFETs in amperes">A in the ''on'' state, dissipating up to about 100 watt">W and controlling a load of over 2000 W. A matchstick is pictured for scale. In electronics, the metal–oxide–semiconductor field- ...

electrochemical Electrochemistry is the branch of physical chemistry concerned with the relationship between electrical potential difference and identifiable chemical change. These reactions involve electrons moving via an electronically conducting phase (typi ...

photoionization Photoionization is the physical process in which an ion is formed from the interaction of a photon with an atom or molecule. Cross section Not every interaction between a photon and an atom, or molecule, will result in photoionization. The prob ...

-, and nondispersive infrared- sensors are known to be useful. These are all tested, found to be usable, and

calibration In measurement technology and metrology, calibration is the comparison of measurement values delivered by a device under test with those of a calibration standard of known accuracy. Such a standard could be another measurement device of known ...

s provided in Rutolo ''et al.'' 2018.

Sources

References

External links

Type strain of ''Pectobacterium carotovorum''
at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase {{Taxonbar, from=Q164586 Bacterial plant pathogens and diseases Vegetable diseases Bacteria described in 1945 Pectobacteriaceae

Management

Sources

References

Further reading

External links