Detection and identification methods and new tests as developed and used in the framework of cost 873 for bacteria pathogenic to stone fruits and nuts

Abstract

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap), the causal agent of bacterial spot disease of stone fruits and almond, is regulated as a quarantine pathogen in the European Union and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). Xap can have an epiphytic phase and/or be latent and, consequently, it can be transmitted by different types of plant material. Effective quarantine measures require specific, sensitive and rapid methods to detect Xap in propagative material or new reservoirs. Laborious and time-consuming methods for the diagnosis of Xap are recommended in the current EPPO standard protocol. However, new several pathogen-specific PCR and quantitative realtime PCR assays have been developed that enable direct detection of Xap in symptomatic and symptomless plant samples. A concise resource of current methods for Xap detection and identification, based on assessment and development activities within the framework of COST 873, is presented.