EPPO Global Database

Erwinia amylovora(ERWIAM)

Distribution details in Japan (Hokkaido)

Situation
Current pest situation evaluated by EPPO on the basis of information dated 2010: Absent, unreliable record
Comments
Bacterial shoot blight occurs on Asian pear (EPPO Reporting Service (1996/108) ). This fireblight-like disease only occurs on Hokkaido and not on the other islands. It has been suggested that it is caused by E. amylovora. In 1992, the NPPO of Japan had denied the presence of fire blight.

According to Thapa et al. (2010), Japanese Erwinia isolates (from pears in Hokkaido) are more closely related to E. pyrifoliae than to E. amylovora. It is sugggested that they belong to the species E. pyrifoliae or possibly to a new Erwinia species.
References
* Beer SV, Kim JH, Gustafson HL, Zumoff C, Laby RJ, Bodganove AJ, Tanii A, Tamura O, Momol T, Aldwinckle HS (1995) Characterization of bacteria that cause' bacterial shoot blight of pear' in Japan. Abstract of a paper presented at the 7th ISHS International Workshop on fire blight, 1995-08-07/10, St Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

* NPPO of Japan (1993).

* Thapa S, Park D, Hur J, Kim W, Lim C (2010) Comparative analysis of the pathogenicity islands of Erwinia pyrifoliae and Japanese Erwinia spp. with other closely related Erwinia species. Abstract of a paper presented at the 12th International Workshop on fire blight (Warsaw, PL, 2010-07-16/20), p 34.