First Report of Pantoea beijingensis Induced Soft Rot Disease of Pleurotus nebrodensis in China

Pleurotus nebrodensis is a popular edible fungus in China. In December 2009, soft rot disease appeared on fruiting bodies of P. neberodensis in greenhouses located at Haidian District of Beijing, China. Early symptoms were water-soaked lesions on the pilei of the fruiting bodies. Lesions then spread and purulent tissues were formed. Severe soft rot induced production of deformed fruiting bodies and offensive odor. Diseased fruiting bodies stopped growth and commercial losses were estimated at 5 to 10%. Internal sections of the diseased pilei about 0.5 × 0.5 cm were suspended in 0.85% NaCl and the suspension was spread on trypticase soy agar (TSA) media. After incubation at 30°C for 2 days, dominant bacterial colonies were yellow, smooth, round, and convex. Cells were gram-negative, short rods, non-capsulated, motile, and non-spore forming. The 16S rRNA gene (1,408 bp, GenBank Accession No. KF849293) was amplified by using the universal forward primer P1 (5′-AGAGTTTGATCCTGGTCAGAACGCT-3′) and the universal ...