Spread of Bacterial Canker of Kiwifruit by Secondary Infection of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Biovar 3 in Gyeongnam in 2016

Abstract

Bacterial canker caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) occurred at 202 kiwifruit orchards for the survey period of 2013-2016, of which Psa biovar 2 (Psa2) and Psa biovar 3 (Psa3) were detected at 73 and 129 kiwifruit orchards, respectively. The number of kiwifruit orchards infected by Psa3 in 2016 increased nearly two times compared to 2015. Psa3 was detected from all the kiwifruit cultivars except some kiwiberry cultivars growing in Korea. Yellow-fleshed cultivars Hort16A and Jecy-gold and red-fleshed cultivar Hongyang were highly susceptible to Psa3. Our epidemiological and random amplification of polymorphic DNA analyses indicated that the first Psa3 incidence on Hongyang orchard in Sacheon, Gyoungnam might result from an introduction of Psa3-contaminated pollens from China for artificial pollination in 2014 and recent outbreaks of Psa3 in Sacheon and Goseong, Gyoungnam in 2016 might be due to rapid spread of bacterial canker by secondary infection of Psa3 from Hongyang orchard to neighboring Jecy-gold and Hayward orchards.