Journal of Plant Pathology (2007) 89, S49-S50

C. Moretti and R. Buonaurio (2007)
Development of a PCR-based method for detection of Brenneria nigrifluens in Persian walnut plants
Journal of Plant Pathology 89 (3, Suppl.), S49-S50
Poster Presentation at S.I.Pa.V XIV National Meeting - Perugia, Italy 19-21 Sept. 2007
Abstract: Shallow bark canker of Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) incited by Brenneria nigrifluens is considered one of the most dangerous diseases for walnut timber production. Since a number of bacterial species are frequently isolated from cankers, we developed a PCR-based method for the specific detection of B. nigrifluens. Rep-PCR performed with REP primers on B. nigrifluens, on bacteria we found associated with bark cankers (Moretti et al., J. Plant Pathol. 89: 211-218, 2007) and on Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Brenneria rubrifaciens, Erwinia amylovora, Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, Pectobacterium crysanthemi, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis, yielded an amplified product specific for B. nigrifluens, which was cloned and used for designing a pair of primers. The deduced aminoacidic sequence of the amplicon had an high level of identity with those of an exo-poly-alpha-D-galacturonosidase of Yersinia enterocolitica subsp. enterocolitica and Pectobacterium chrysanthemi. The primers permitted the specific amplification of a 310 bp amplicon when the genomic DNA of 11 B. nigrifluens strains, type strain included, was used as template. No PCR products were obtained from bacteria associated with bark cankers and from any of the above-mentioned phytopathogenic species. Validation of this PCR assay to detect B. nigrifluens in infected Persian walnut plants is under way.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Chiaraluce Moretti, Roberto Buonaurio

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
identification/taxonomy
surveys/sampling/distribution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Brenneria nigrifluens	Walnut/butternut (Juglans)