Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi monitorar características do ciclo de vida de Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. phaseolicola, para melhor compreender a manifestação do crestamento aureolado do feijoeiro, originada de uma população bacteriana em plantas assintomáticas. Cinco experimentos foram conduzidos em campo, casas de vegetação e câmaras de cultura. Alterações no tamanho da população foram avaliadas em três plantios no campo, por meio da introdução da bactéria em focos de contaminação e da observação das condições climáticas que favoreceram a manifestação da doença. A dispersão da bactéria no campo foi acompanhada por isolamento e análise Bio-PCR. Dois ensaios foram conduzidos em casas de vegetação e câmaras de cultura, para avaliar o efeito da idade das folhas na expressão da doença e a relação entre o nível populacional e o número de manchas foliares. A bactéria multiplica-se intensamente logo que entra em contato com hospedeiro compatível e atinge níveis populacionais elevados, com a presença ou não de sintomas. O fator que mais favoreceu a multiplicação bacteriana e o surgimento dos sintomas foi a água, e seu papel na passagem da fase epifítica à patogênica pode estar associado ao volume e à intensidade das chuvas. A dispersão não sintomática da bactéria no campo é maior que o aparecimento da doença. No Brasil, a bactéria deve ser categorizada como praga quarentenária presente.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to monitor traits of the life cycle of Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. phaseolicola, in order to better understand the outbreak of bean halo blight, originating from a bacterial population in asymptomatic plants. Five experiments were conducted in the field, in greenhouses, and in humidity chambers. Changes in population size were evaluated in three field plantings, by introducing the bacteria in contamination focal points and observing the weather conditions favoring an outbreak. The dispersion of the bacteria in the field was followed by isolation and Bio-PCR analysis. Two assays were conducted in greenhouses and humidity chambers to evaluate the effect of leaf age on disease expression and the relationship between population level and number of leaf spots. The bacteria multiply intensively when in contact with a compatible host and reach high population sizes, with or without symptoms. The most favorable factor for bacterial multiplication and symptom triggering was water, and its role in the changeover from the epiphytic to the pathogenic phase might be linked to rainfall volume and intensity. Bacterial asymptomatic dispersion in the field is greater than disease emergence. In Brazil, the bacteria should be categorized as a present quarantine pest.

The phenotypic characteristics and genetic fingerprints of a collection of 120 bacterial strains, belonging to Pseudomonas syringae sensu lato group, P. viridiflava and reference bacteria were evaluated, with the aim of species identification. The numerical analysis of 119 nutritional characteristics did not show patterns that would help with identification. Regarding the genetic fingerprinting, the results of the present study supported the observation that BOX-PCR seems to be able to identify bacterial strains at species level. After numerical analyses of the bar-codes, all pathovars belonging to each one of the nine described genomospecies were clustered together at a distance of 0.72, and could be separated at genomic species level. Two P. syringae strains of unknown pathovars (CFBP 3650 and CFBP 3662) and the three P. syringae pv. actinidiae strains were grouped in two extra clusters and might eventually constitute two new species. This genomic species clustering was particularly evident for genomospecies 4, which gathered P. syringae pvs. atropurpurea, coronafaciens, garçae, oryzae, porri, striafaciens, and zizaniae at a noticeably low distance.