ISHS Acta Horticulturae 439: III International Strawberry Symposium
EFFECTIVE CLEANING OF STRAWBERRY PLANTS FROM PATHOGENIC FUNGAL AND ENDOPHYTIC BACTERIAL CONTAMINANTS |
| Authors: | E. Khayat, A. Abdul Razek, D. Halevy, T. Guntmacher |
| Keywords: | Fragaria x ananassa, healthy propagating material, pathogen-free plants, in vitro culture |
| Abstract:
An effective procedure has been devised for production of disease-free strawberry mother plants in commercial nurseries. The procedure includes chemo and thermo therapies during the in vitro culture, followed by a prenuclear and nuclear stage, and a foundation stage. Plants which were heavily infested with fungi such as Colletotrichum or Fusarium sp. as well as several endophytic bacteria including Xanthomonas and Erwinia herbicola, were successfully cleaned using the above-mentioned procedure. Plants which were held in protected greenhouses were re-examined 4–5 month after the in vitro stage. Our examination revealed that mother plants were free of the pathogenic fungi Phytophthora fragariae, Rhizoctonia sp., or Colletotrichum acutatum up to 12 months after transfer of the plants to protected greenhouses. On the other hand some endophytic bacteria re-occurred in strawberry plants treated during the nuclear stage. Our results demonstrate the necessity of the in vitro culture for effective cleaning of strawberry plants from pathogenic organisms. However, some endophytic bacteria can re-infect the plants even when severe sanitary measures are employed. | |
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