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Protection of crops from bacterial diseases presents a continuing challenge, mandating the development of novel agents and approaches. Photocatalysis is a process where chemically reactive oxygen species are catalytically generated by certain minerals in the presence of light. These reactive oxygen species have the capacity to destroy organic molecular structures critical to pathogen viability. In this study, the antibacterial potential of photocatalytic nanoscale titanium dioxide (TiO2), nanoscale TiO2 doped (incorporation of other materials into the structure of TiO2) with silver (TiO2/Ag), and nanoscale TiO2 doped with zinc (TiO2/Zn; AgriTitan) was evaluated against Xanthomonas perforans, the causal agent for bacterial spot disease of tomato. In vitro experiments on photocatalytic activity and dose dependency were conducted on glass cover slips coated with the nanoscale formulations by adding a known population of X. perforans strain Xp-F7 and illuminating the cover slips under a visible light source. TiO2/Ag and TiO2/Zn had high photocatalytic activity against X. perforans within 10 min of exposure to 3 x 104 lux. Greenhouse studies on naturally and artificially infected transplants treated with TiO2/Zn at ≈ 500 to 800 ppm significantly reduced bacterial spot severity compared with untreated and copper control. Protection was similar to the grower standard, copper + mancozeb. The use of TiO2/Zn at ≈500 to 800 ppm significantly reduced disease incidence in three of the four trials compared with untreated and copper control, and was comparable to or better than the grower standard. The treatments did not cause any adverse effects on tomato yield in any of the field trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils of palmarosa, lemongrass, and eucalyptus have shown promise as biofumigants for control of the bacterial wilt disease of edible ginger (Zingiber officinale) caused by Ralstonia solanacearum race 4 in previous potting medium studies. Biochemical changes in R. solanacearum cells were evaluated with micro-Raman spectroscopy following treatment with essential oils at different concentrations (0.04, 0.07, and 0.14% [vol/vol] of culture medium) and changes in cell structure were observed using electron microscopy. All treatments except palmarosa oil at 0.04% caused significant reductions in levels of amino acids, purine and pyrimidine bases of nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids, as indicated by significant reduction in Raman peak heights at 621, 1,003, and 1,031 inverse centimeters (cm-1) (phenylalanine); 643, 827, 852, 1,158, and 1,172 cm-1 (tyrosine); 758 cm-1 (tryptophan); 725, 782, 1,337, and 1,578 cm-1 (adenine, cytosine plus uracil, adenine, and adenine plus guanine, respectively); 1,097 cm-1 (carbohydrates); and 1, 127, 1,450, and 2,932 cm-1 (lipids) compared with untreated controls. Lemongrass oil treatments were the most effective in degrading cellular components. Scanning electron microscopy of palmarosa and lemongrass-oil-treated cells showed rupture of cell walls and cell debris but no degradation was noted for eucalyptus-oil-treated cells. Palmarosa- and lemongrass-oil-treated cells were positively stained with uranyl acetate when viewed by transmission electron microscopy whereas controls and eucalyptus-oil-treated cells were negatively stained, indicating that the cell membranes were intact. The viability of eucalyptus-oil-treated cells was confirmed by cell culture following treatment. Micro-Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool which can be further employed to better understand effects of fumigants and other bactericides on bacterial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread presence of tolerance to copper in Xanthomonas species has resulted in the need to develop alternative approaches to control plant diseases caused by xanthomonads. In recent years, nanotechnological approaches have resulted in the identification of novel materials to control plant pathogens. With many metal-based nanomaterials having shown promise for disease control, an important question relates to the mode of action of these new materials. In this study, we used several approaches, such as scanning electron microscopy, propidium monoazide quantitative polymerase chain reaction, epifluorescence microscopy, and RNA sequencing to elucidate the mode of action of a Cu/Zn hybrid nanoparticle against copper-tolerant strains of Xanthomonas euvesicatoria. We demonstrate that Cu/Zn did not activate copper resistance genes (i.e., copA and copB) in the copper-tolerant bacterium but functioned by disrupting the bacterial cell structure and perturbing important biological processes such as cell respiration and chemical homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xanthomonas spp. infect a wide range of annual and perennial plants. Bacterial blight in young seedlings of Eucalyptus spp. in Indonesia was originally identified as X. perforons. However, these strains failed to elicit a hypersensitive response (HR) on either tomatoes or peppers. Two of the strains, EPK43 and BCC 972, when infiltrated into tomato and pepper leaves, failed to grow to significant levels in comparison with well-characterized X. euvesicatoria pv. perforons (Xp) strains. Furthermore, spray inoculation of 'Bonny Best' tomato plants with abacterial suspension of the Eucalyptus strains resulted in no obvious symptoms. We sequenced the whole genomes of eight strains isolated from two Eucalyptus species between 2007 and 2015. The strains had average nucleotide identities (ANIs) of at least 97.8 with Xp and X. euvesicatoria pv. euvesicatoria (Xeu) strains, both of which are causal agents of bacterial spot of tomatoes and peppers. A comparison of the Eucalyptus strains revealed that the ANI values were >99.99% with each other. Core genome phylogeny clustered all Eucalyptus strains with X. euvesicatoria pv. rosa. They formed separate clades, which included X. euvesicatoria pv. alangii, X. euvesicatoria pv. citrumelonis, and X. euvesicatoria pv. alfalfae. Based on ANI, phylogenetic relationships, and pathogenicity, we designated these Eucalyptus strains as X. euvesicatoria pv. eucalypti (Xee). Comparative analysis of sequenced strains provided unique profiles of type III secretion effectors. Core effector XopD, present in all pathogenic Xp and Xeu strains, was absent in theXee strains. Comparison of the hrp clusters of Xee, Xp, and Xeu genomes revealed that HrpE in Xee strains was very different from that in Xp and Xeu. To determine if it was functional, we deleted the gene and complemented with the Xee hrpE, confirming it was essential for secretion of type III effectors. HrpE has a hypervariable N-terminus in Xanthomonas spp., in which the N-terminus of Xee strains differs significantly from those of Xeu and Xp strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field trials were conducted at two locations in Florida to evaluate transgenic tomato expressing the ELONGATION FACTOR TV RECEPTOR (EFR) gene from Arabidopsis thaliana, the Bs2 gene from pepper, or both Bs2 and EFR (Bs2/EFR) for managing bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum and bacterial spot caused by Xanthomonas perforans. Expression of EFR or Bs2/EFR in the susceptible genotype Fla. 8000 significantly reduced bacterial wilt incidence (50 to 100%) and increased total yield (57 to 114%) relative to lines expressing only Bs2 or the nontransformed Fla. 8000 control, although the marketable yield was not significantly affected. Following harvest, surviving symptomatic and nonsymptomatic plants were assessed for colonization by R. solanacearum. There were no significant differences in the population at the lower stem. Interestingly, in the middle stem, no bacteria could be recovered from EFR or Bs2/EFR lines but viable bacterial populations were recovered from Bs2 and nontransformed control lines at 10² to 105 CFU/g of stem tissue. In growth-chamber experiments, the EFR transgenic tomato lines were found to be effective against seven different R. solanacearum strains isolated from the southeastern United States, indicating utility across the southeastern United States. In all of the bacterial spot trials, EFR and Bs2/EFR lines had significantly reduced disease severity (22 to 98%) compared with the Fla. 8000 control. The marketable and total yield of Bs2/EFR were significantly higher (43 to 170%) than Fla. 8000 control in three of four field trials. These results demonstrate for the first time the potential of using the EFR gene for field management of bacterial wilt and bacterial spot diseases of tomato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial spot caused by Xanthomonas spp. is an economically important disease of pepper causing significant yield losses in Taiwan. Monitoring the pathogen population on a continuous basis is necessary for developing disease management strategies. We analyzed a collection of xanthomonad strains isolated from pepper in Taiwan between 1989 and 2019. Among the sequenced genomes, 65 were identified as Xanthomonas euvesicatoria , and 10 were X. perforans . Thirty-five X. euvesicatoria and 10 X. perforans strains were copper tolerant, whereas only four X. euvesicatoria and none of the X. perforans strains were tolerant to streptomycin. Nine X. euvesicatoria strains were amylolytic, which is considered an unusual characteristic for X. euvesicatoria . Bayesian analysis of the population structure based on core gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms clustered the strains into five clusters for X. euvesicatoria and three clusters for X. perforans . One X. perforans cluster, designated as TP-2019, appears to be a novel genetic cluster based on core genes, accessory gene content, and effector profile. This knowledge of pathogen diversity with whole genomic information will be useful in future comparative studies and in improving breeding programs to develop disease-resistant cultivars and other disease management options., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

Protection of crops from bacterial diseases presents a continuing challenge, mandating the development of novel agents and approaches. Photocatalysis is a process where chemically reactive oxygen species are catalytically generated by certain minerals in the presence of light. These reactive oxygen species have the capacity to destroy organic molecular structures critical to pathogen viability. In this study, the antibacterial potential of photocatalytic nanoscale titanium dioxide (TiO(2)), nanoscale TiO(2) doped (incorporation of other materials into the structure of TiO(2)) with silver (TiO(2)/Ag), and nanoscale TiO(2) doped with zinc (TiO(2)/Zn; AgriTitan) was evaluated against Xanthomonas perforans, the causal agent for bacterial spot disease of tomato. In vitro experiments on photocatalytic activity and dose dependency were conducted on glass cover slips coated with the nanoscale formulations by adding a known population of X. perforans strain Xp-F7 and illuminating the cover slips under a visible light source. TiO(2)/Ag and TiO(2)/Zn had high photocatalytic activity against X. perforans within 10 min of exposure to 3 × 10(4) lux. Greenhouse studies on naturally and artificially infected transplants treated with TiO(2)/Zn at ≈500 to 800 ppm significantly reduced bacterial spot severity compared with untreated and copper control. Protection was similar to the grower standard, copper + mancozeb. The use of TiO(2)/Zn at ≈500 to 800 ppm significantly reduced disease incidence in three of the four trials compared with untreated and copper control, and was comparable to or better than the grower standard. The treatments did not cause any adverse effects on tomato yield in any of the field trials.