Revisiting the Identification of Xanthomonas arboricola Strains Isolated from Cherry in Montenegro Through Genome Analysis and Pathogenicity Testing
Loading...
Date
2026-02-12
Authors
Cuesta Morrondo, SaraPalacio Bielsa, Ana
Popović, Tamara
Obradović, Aleksa
Garita Cambronero, J.
Cubero, Jaime
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The American Phytopathological Society
Typology
texto , revista , artÃculo , artÃculo originalAbstract
Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap) is a well-known phytopathogenic bacterium responsible for bacterial spot in Prunus species. Although cherry has historically been listed as a potential host for this pathogen, the occurrence of Xap bacterial spot in cherry is rare. In the present study, two bacterial strains isolated from cherry in Montenegro and initially identified as Xap were subjected to genomic and pathogenicity analyses. The results showed substantial genetic divergence, along with distinct phenotypic profiles, between these strains and reference Xap strains known to be pathogenic in Prunus. These findings are consistent with recent studies reporting the existence of nonpathogenic, less virulent, or atypical strains of X. arboricola that had previously been misidentified as Xap due to limitations of previous diagnostic methods. The results, together with the historically low number of verified Xap infections in cherry and evidence that some strains may have been misidentified or confused with nonpathogenic or misclassified strains, contribute to the hypothesis that cherry may not be a highly relevant natural host for Xap and should therefore be reevaluated. This could have implications for monitoring strategies, risk assessment, and regulatory measures concerning Xanthomonas management in cherry cultivation.
Description
Keywords
Bibliographic citation
Cuesta-Morrondo, S., Palacio-Bielsa, A., Popović, T., Obradović, A., Garita-Cambronero, J., & Cubero, J. (2026). Revisiting the Identification of Xanthomonas arboricola Strains Isolated from Cherry in Montenegro Through Genome Analysis and Pathogenicity Testing. Phytopathology, PHYTO-05-25-0168-SC. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-25-0168-SC
AGROVOC subjects
XanthomonasPrunus avium
Control de enfermedades de plantas
Enfermedad bacteriana
Diagnóstico
Sponsorship
Se recibió apoyo de la Agencia Estatal de Investigación (MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033: PID2021-123600OR «FEDER Una forma de hacer Europa» y PRE2019-090846 «FSE Invertir en tu futuro»). T. Popovic recibió el apoyo de la Administración de Seguridad Alimentaria, Asuntos Veterinarios y Fitosanitarios de Montenegro. A. Obradovi´c recibió el apoyo del Ministerio de Ciencia, Desarrollo Tecnológico e Innovación de la República de Serbia (número de contrato 451-03-137/2025-03/200116).