FIRST REPORT OF PANTOEA ANANATIS CAUSING LEAF BLIGHT DISEASE OF POMEGRANATE IN INDIA (Article)

Abstract

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is an economically important fruit crop and India ranks first for its cultivation globally (Chathalingath & Gunasekar, 2023). During December 2022, pomegranate in Tamil Nadu, India was found with leaf abnormalities. Diseased leaves showed brown necrotic spots surrounded by yellowish margins and the edges of the leaves were wrinkled (Figure 1). Diseased leaves were collected and surface sterilised with 0.2% sodium hypochlorite, and then the lesion-bearing areas were cut and ground with sterile water. The suspension was spread onto nutrient glucose agar and incubated at 28±2°C for five days (Doddaraju et al., 2019). All the colonies on the medium showed similar morphological features and a single colony was selected and assigned the name PBL5. The isolate was Gram-negative and yellow-pigmented, circular with a glistening morphology, positive for starch hydrolysis, catalase, oxidase and methyl red but negative for citrate utilisation, Voges-Proskauer and casein hydrolysis. The isolate was incapable of producing indole and urease.