Causal Agents of Blossom Blight of Kiwifruit in Korea

The causal agents of bacterial blossom blight in kiwifruit were isolated from flowers displaying symptoms in Korea. The pathogens were characterized by biochemical and physiological tests, and identified on the basis of 16S rDNA and 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. Pathogenicity tests demonstrated that the blossom blight of kiwifruit in Korea is caused by two pathogens, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and P. fluorescens. Carbon source utilization and DNA-DNA hybridization experiments confirmed P. fluorescens as one of the causal agents of blossom blight of kiwifruit. P. syringae pv. syringae and P. fluorescens can be distinguished from each other by the symptoms they produce in flowers. P. syringae pv. syringae primarily affected the stamen, while P. fluorescens caused rotting of all internal tissues of buds or flowers.