First outbreak and occurrence of citrus blast disease, caused byPseudomonas syringaepv.syringae, on orange and mandarin trees in Turkey.

The article reports on the occurrence of citrus blast disease, caused by Pseudomonas syringae on orange and mandarin trees in Turkey. Characteristic disease symptoms were first seen on leaves as watersoaked lesions and black areas on the petiole wings. Later lesions extended to the mid-vein of leaves and to the twigs surrounding the base of the petiole. The necrotic areas on twigs further enlarged and the twigs were eventually killed within 20-30 days. The test results conformed to the characteristics of Pseudomonas syringae as the causal organism of citrus blast and were similar to those of reference strain.