First report of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens on soybean in Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (EPPO A2 List) was declared absent in 2004 (EPPO RS 2004/007).
In a study published in 2024, C. flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens was suspected to occur in symptomatic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and pepper (Capsicum annuum) plants in Bulgaria, although further testing was needed to confirm the pathovar present (Kizheva et al., 2024).
An article published in 2026 reports that in summer 2020, soybean (Glycine max) plants showing chlorotic and necrotic spots on leaves were sampled from an experimental research station in the municipality of Pavlikeni (Oblast Veliko Tǎrnovo). The pest was identified by molecular testing. This was the first report of C. flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens with soybean in Bulgaria. The same study reported the presence of Phytophthora sojae (formerly EPPO A2 List) in Bulgaria for the first time.
The situation of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens in Bulgaria can be described as: Present, restricted distribution.
Sources
Lyubenova A (2026) Phytophthora sojae and other pathogens on soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) detected in Bulgaria. Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science 32(4), 928–936. https://doi.org/10.61308/gznpdg81
Kizheva Y, Pandova M, Dimitrova M, Gladicheva Y, Garkova M, Pirnareva D, Donchev D, Moncheva P, Hristova P (2024) First report of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens in Bulgaria. Pathogens 13(6), 483. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13060483