Bacteriophage-based biological control of Erwinia soft rot in greenhouse-grown calla lily

摘要

Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora (E.c.c.) is a broad host-range pathogen that causes the maceration of plant tissues through the activity of several cell wall-degrading enzymes (Photo 1). Horticulturally, crops that are most at risk are propagatedvia division bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes such as crocus, dieffenbachia, freesia, gladiolus, hyacinth, iris and calla. In Ontario, calla tubers are forced to flower in greenhouses for the production of cut flowers and potted plants. Once in culture, calla growers have few options should an outbreak of soft rot occur. While streptomycin has shown to be effective in reducing E.c.c. growth, it is not registered for this purpose in Ontario. Greenhouse losses from Erwinia soft rot can range from less than 30% to complete crop losses, and have impeded expansion of the calla industry.