ISHS Acta Horticulturae 225: Bacterial and Bacteria-like Contaminants of Plant Tissue Cultures
PROBLEMS POSED BY CULTIVABLE BACTERIAL ENDOPHYTES IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AXENIC CULTURES OF PELARGONIUM x DOMESTICUM: THE USE OF XANTHOMONAS PELARGONII-SPECIFIC ELISA, DNA PROBES AND CULTURE INDEXING IN THE SCREENING OF ANTIBIOTIC TREATED AND UNTREATED DONOR PLANTS |
| Authors: | A.C. Cassells, B.F. Carney, E. McCarthy, A. McHugh, M.A. Harmey |
| Abstract:
A strategy is outlined whereby P. x domesticum stock plants can be selected more efficiently to provide explants free from cultivable contaminants for tissue culture studies. Factors of importance include the history of the plants, the cultural conditions, the assumption that Xanthomonas pelargonii is the most frequent, usually the sole contaminant and that the distribution of the latter is virtually systemic. The procedure involves the screening of stock plants with either a sensitive specific ELISA or a DNA probe and culture indexing of explants from Xanthomonas-negative donors. The results here do not support the view that P. x domesticum has an endogenous microflora rather that it is a niche for Xanthomonas pelargonii the main bacterial pathogen of pelargoniums in this region. A range of other bacteria may also be found, infrequently. The latter are considered to be opportunistic colonisers but, dependent on conditions, any one of them may become significant if the individual plant containing them is clonally propagated. | |
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