Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Bacterial fruit blotch of melon: screens for disease tolerance and role of seed transmission in pathogenicity

  • Published:
European Journal of Plant Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) of cucurbits, caused by Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli, is a serious threat to the watermelon and melon industries. To date, there are no commercial cultivars of cucurbit crops resistant to the disease. Here we assessed the level of tolerance to bacterial fruit blotch of various commercial cultivars as well as breeding and wild lines of melon, using seed-transmission assays and seedling-inoculation experiments. Selected cultivars were also tested in a greenhouse experiment with mature plants. All tested cultivars/lines were found to be susceptible to the pathogen, and most of them showed different responses (relative tolerance vs. susceptibility) in the different assays; however, some consistent trends were found: cv. ADIR339 was relatively tolerant in all tested assays, and cv. 6407 and wild lines BLB-B and EAD-B were relatively tolerant in seed-transmission assays. We also provide evidence supporting a strong correlation between the level of susceptibility of a cultivar/line and the ability of the pathogen to adhere to or penetrate the seed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to assess melon cultivars/lines for bacterial fruit blotch response.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

BFB:

bacterial fruit blotch

PI:

plant introduction

References

  • Bahar, O., Efrat, M., Hadar, E., Dutta, B., Walcott, R. R., & Burdman, S. (2008). New subspecies-specific polymerase chain reaction-based assay for the detection of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli. Plant Pathology doi:10.1111/j.1365-3059.2008.01828.x.

  • Burdman, S., Kots, N., Kritzman, G., & Kopelowitz, J. (2005). Molecular, physiological, and host-range characterization of Acidovorax avenae subsp citrulli isolates from watermelon and melon in Israel. Plant Disease, 89, 1339–1347. doi:10.1094/PD-89-1339.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goth, R. W., & Webb, R. E. (1981). Resistance of commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) to Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes subsp. citrulli. Plant Disease, 65, 671–672.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, D. L. (1991). Control of bacterial fruit blotch of watermelon with cupric hydroxide. Phytopathology, 81, 1228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, D. L. (1995). Copper-containing fungicides reduce the spread of bacterial fruit blotch of watermelon in the greenhouse. Phytopathology, 85, 510.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, D. L., & Thompson, C. M. (2002). Evaluation of Citrullus sp. germ plasm for resistance to Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli. Plant Disease, 86, 61–64. doi:10.1094/PDIS.2002.86.1.61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, D. L., Thompson, C. M., & Elmstrom, G. W. (1993). Resistance of watermelon seedlings and fruit to the fruit blotch bacterium. HortScience, 28, 122–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, D. L., Thompson, C. M., Hilgren, J., & Lovic, B. (2003). Wet seed treatment with peroxyacetic acid for the control of bacterial fruit blotch and other seedborne diseases of watermelon. Plant Disease, 87, 1495–1499. doi:10.1094/PDIS.2003.87.12.1495.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Isakeit, T., Black, M. C., Barnes, L. W., & Jones, J. B. (1997). First report of infection of honeydew with Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli. Plant Disease, 81, 694. doi:10.1094/PDIS.1997.81.6.694C.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isakeit, T., Black, M. C., & Jones, J. B. (1998). Natural infection of citronmelon with Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli. Plant Disease, 82, 351–351. doi:10.1094/PDIS.1998.82.3.351D.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kadish, D., Grinberger, M., & Cohen, Y. (1990). Fitness of metalaxyl-sensitive and metalaxyl resistant isolates of Phytophthora infestans in susceptible and resistant potato cultivers. Phytopathology, 80, 200–206. doi:10.1094/Phyto-80-200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keen, N. T., Tamaki, S., Kobayashi, D., & Trollinger, D. (1988). Improved broad-host-range plasmids for DNA cloning in gram-negative bacteria. Gene, 70, 191–197. doi:10.1016/0378-1119(88)90117-5.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Langston Jr, D. B., Walcott, R. R., Gitaitis, R. D., & Sanders Jr., F. H. (1999). First report of a fruit rot of pumpkin caused by Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli in Georgia. Plant Disease, 83, 199. doi:10.1094/PDIS.1999.83.2.199B.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Latin, R. X., & Hopkins, D. L. (1995). Bacterial fruit blotch of watermelon: the hypothetical exam question becomes reality. Plant Disease, 79, 761–765.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, H. L., & O’Brien, R. G. (1999). First report of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli as a pathogen of cucumber. Plant Disease, 83, 965. doi:10.1094/PDIS.1999.83.10.965D.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moens, S., & Vanderleyden, J. (1996). Functions of bacterial flagella. Critical Reviews in Microbiology, 22, 67–100. doi:10.3109/10408419609106456.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, R. G., & Martin, H. L. (1999). Bacterial blotch of melons caused by strains of Acidovorax avenae subsp citrulli. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 39, 479–485. doi:10.1071/EA98172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rane, K. K., & Latin, R. X. (1992). Bacterial fruit blotch of watermelon: association of the pathogen with seed. Plant Disease, 76, 509–512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F., & Maniatis, T. (1989). Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaad, N. W., Postnikova, E., & Randhawa, P. S. (2003). Emergence of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli as a crop threatening disease of watermelon and melon. In N. S. Iacobellis, A. Collmer, S. W. Hutcheson, J. W. Mansfield, C. E. Morris, J. Murillo, N. W. Schaad, D. E. Stead, G. Surico, & M. S. Ullrich (Eds.), Pseudomonas syringae and related pathogens (pp. 573–581). Dordrecht: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaad, N. W., Sowell, G., Goth, R. W., Colwell, R. R., & Webb, R. E. (1978). Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes subsp. citrulli subsp-Nov. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, 28, 117–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Somodi, G. C., Jones, J. B., Hopkins, D. L., Stall, R. E., Kucharek, T. A., Hodge, N. C., et al. (1991). Occurrence of a bacterial watermelon fruit blotch in Florida. Plant Disease, 75, 1053–1056.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sowell, G., & Schaad, N. W. (1979). Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes subsp. citrulli on watermelon: seed transmission and resistance of plant introductions. Plant Disease Reporter, 63, 437–441.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walcott, R. R., Castro, A. C., Fessehaie, A., & Ling, K. (2006). Progress towards a commercial PCR-based assay for Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli. Seed Science and Technology, 34, 101–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walcott, R. R., Fessehaie, A., & Castro, A. C. (2004). Differences in pathogenicity between two genetically distinct groups of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli on cucurbit hosts. Journal of Phytopathology, 152, 277–285. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0434.2004.00841.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walcott, R. R., Gitaitis, R., & Castro, A. C. (2003). Role of blossoms in watermelon seed infestation by Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli. Phytopathology, 93, 528–534. doi:10.1094/PHYTO.2003.93.5.528.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walcott, R. R., Langston Jr, D. B., Sanders Jr, F. H., & Gitaitis, R. D. (2000). Investigating intraspecific variation of Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli using DNA fingerprinting and whole cell fatty acid analysis. Phytopathology, 90, 191–196. doi:10.1094/PHYTO.2000.90.2.191.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wall, G. C., & Santos, V. M. (1988). A new bacterial disease on watermelon in the Mariana Islands. Phytopathology, 78, 1605.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wall, G. C., Santos, V. M., Cruz, F. J., Nelson, D. A., & Cabrera, I. (1990). Outbreak of watermelon fruit blotch in the Mariana Islands. Plant Disease, 74, 80. doi:10.1094/PD-74-0080D.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, R. E., & Goth, R. W. (1965). A seedborne bacterium isolated from watermelon. Plant Disease Reporter, 49, 818–821.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willems, A., Goor, M., Thielemans, S., Gillis, M., Kersters, K., & De Ley, J. (1992). Transfer of several phytopathogenic Pseudomonas species to Acidovorax as Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae subsp. nov., comb. nov., Acidovorax avenae subsp. citrulli, Acidovorax avenae subsp. cattleyae, and Acidovorax konjaci. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, 42, 107–119.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Prof. Jaacov Katan and Prof. Yigal Cohen for valuable comments during the preparation of this manuscript. We also thank Mr. Benny Kirshner and Mrs. Tamar Zimmerman for valuable technical support, and Dr. Yossef Burger, Mr. Yosi Fuxenbaum, Mr. Amir Lehrer and Mr. Dror Weiss, for kindly providing seeds for this work. This study was supported by grant number 823018005 from the Chief Scientist and from the Vegetable Division of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P. O. Box 12, Rehovot, 76100, Israel

    Ofir Bahar & Saul Burdman

  2. Department of Plant Pathology and Weed Research, Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, P. O. Box 6, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Giora Kritzman

Authors
  1. Ofir Bahar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Giora Kritzman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Saul Burdman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Saul Burdman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bahar, O., Kritzman, G. & Burdman, S. Bacterial fruit blotch of melon: screens for disease tolerance and role of seed transmission in pathogenicity. Eur J Plant Pathol 123, 71–83 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-008-9345-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-008-9345-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation