First report of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae in Argentina
In recent years, in the Mar del Plata area of Argentina, many kiwifruit orchards composed of only male plants (Actinidia deliciosa cv. Chieftain) have been established for pollen production, since the country was considered unaffected by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (EPPO A2 List). Routine controls have been conducted to verify the absence of the bacterium in the pollen that is produced and commercialized. In February 2015, during one of these controls, some bacterial colonies with morphological features similar to those of P. syringae pv. actinidiae were detected. Four of these colonies were further studied (biochemical, molecular, and pathogenicity tests) and the identity of the bacterium was confirmed to be P. syringae pv. actinidiae. This is the first time that this bacterium has been detected in Argentina. For the moment, it has been detected only in pollen and not in plants, but extensive monitoring and laboratory analysis are ongoing.
The situation of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae in Argentina can be described as follows: Present, only in some areas (detected in pollen collected near Mar del Plata).
Sources
Balestra GM, Buriani G, Cellini A, Donati I, Mazzaglia A, Spinelli F (2018) First report of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae on kiwifruit pollen from Argentina. Plant Disease 102(1), p 237.