Rengifo-Medina, Judith

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    Bacterias asociadas al cultivo del plátano (Musa sp.) y su relación con el aborto del racimo
    (2003) Rengifo-Medina, Judith; Zapata-Serrano, Mildred; College of Agricultural Sciences; Diaz, Manuel; Inglés, Rafael; Muñoz, Carlos A.; Department of Crops and Agro-Environmental Sciences; Inglés, Rafael
    Plantain production (Musa spp.) in Central, South America and the Caribbean is limited by bacterial diseases. In Puerto Rico, the production of the plantain “Hua Moa” is affected by a disease called bunch abortion or choke neck. Although it is common to observe soft rot tissue suggesting interactions with biotic agents, no research has been conducted to explain the disease in terms of abiotic or biotic agents. This study tried to identify bacteria and their role in relation to the choke neck disease. Bacteria were isolated from pseudostems of “Hua Moa” in three locations in Puerto Rico, using common and semi-selective growth media. Pathogenicity was determined using potato and plantain pseudostem discs in humid chambers under in vitro conditions. Under greenhouse conditions the pathogenicity of four bacteria were tested on whole plants on the clones Maricongo, Grand nain, Enano, FHIA-01 and “Hua Moa”. A field experiment was conducted during 10 months on “Hua Moa” plants inoculated with Pseudomonas aeuriginosa. A total of 167 strains were isolated from diseased plants from which Burkholderia gladioli, Erwinia chrysanthemi and P. aeuriginosa were determined pathogenic. E. chrysanthemi was virulent in all clones tested under greenhouse conditions. Significant differences between treatments were not found under field conditions suggesting that P. aeuriginosa have no relation with the disease. At the other hand, E. chrysanthemi may be responsible of the soft rots developed on “Hua Moa” plantain once the choke neck disease is initiated.