Bacteriology

At the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, we perform special supervisions of certain quarantine bacterial diseases and provide diagnosis of various economically important bacterial diseases and consultations.

  • Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora)
  • Potato brown rot (Ralstonia solanacearum)
  • Potato ring rot (Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus)
  • Crown gall disease (Agrobacterium vitis)

In cooperation with the nematology group, we are included in the research study of interactions between agrobacteria and root-knot nematodes on host plants.

 

Special Control of Quarantine and Economically Important Pests

Fire Blight

In accordance with the Plant Protection Act and the Rules on Protective Measures and Methods Against the Introduction of Organisms Harmful to Plants, of Plant Products and other Objects and Against their Spread, we have been implementing the programme of systematic detection of the presence of fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) since 1998.

Fire blight is an economically important plant disease that is extremely hard to control. The disease is the most widespread in the Mediterranean countries: due to beneficial weather conditions and the presence of indigenous host plants. The regulations of the European Union from the field of plant health in accordance with Directive 2000/29/EC classify the bacteria E. amylovora on the quarantine list A2. Systematic supervision is performed in accordance with the Rules on the Measures to Prevent the Introduction and Spread of Fire Blight (Official Gazette of the RS, no. 19/2009).

Potato Brown and Ring Rot

We are the coordinators of a special supervision of potato brown (Ralstonia solanacearum) and ring rot (Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus). We supervise the domestic production of edible potato and the presence of the pathogen in waters and host weeds and as the authorised certification body also for the domestic production of seed potato.

Crown Gall Disease

At the Institute, we are trained for laboratory diagnosing of the agents causing the bacterial crown gall disease of grapevine. During the years when the conditions are favourable for the development of the bacteria (winter and spring frost, use of total herbicides, cutting, excessive fertilisation with nitrogen, excessive load of the grapevine) the disease may cause damage in vines and young vineyards. Bacteria from the Agrobacterium genus have a very wide range of host plants where they cause damage. Grapevine is usually infected by the Agrobacterium vitis species, but Agrobacterium tumefaciens is also pathogenic.