Erwinia carotovora pv. carotovora, causal agent of soft rot disease in some crops in Puerto Rico

Abstract

The bacterium Erwinia carotovora pv. carotovora (Jones) was identified from bacterial isolates from decaying material of tobacco, tomato, tanier, head lettuce, cabbage, Dracaena spp, Pothos spp, and calla lily as the causal agent of soft rot disease. Physiological characteristics, biochemical reactions and antibiotic response were similar among strains. The ability of the isolates to produce soft rot symptoms on healthy plants when artificially inoculated was demonstrated by pathogenicity tests.