PECTOLYTIC BACTERIA OF THE GENUS PSEUDOMONAS FROM DISEASED POTATO TUBERS

During the examination of industrial potato storage facilities in the Kostroma Region and Kamchatka Krai, potato tubers with soft rot symptoms were collected. Pectolytic bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas were isolated and identified. The isolated pectolytic Pseudomonas strains differed from each other and from other isolated from potatoes in the sequences of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene, a region of the B subunit gene of DNA gyrase, and a fragment of the sigma factor gene of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Based on the analysis of the sequences, the isolated bacteria can be attributed to the P. fluorescens group. The isolated bacteria caused maceration of potato tuber tissues at a temperature of 10 °C and 25 °C. The affected potato tissue intensely fluoresced when illuminated with ultraviolet light. At a temperature of 37 °C bacterial growth was completely inhibited. The LOPAT profile corresponds to group IVa of phytopathogenic Pseudomonas. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.