Occurrence of Pseudomonas syringae pv. coryli on Hazelnut Orchards in Sicily (southern Italy) and Characterization by Fluorescent Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism

Field surveys for ascertaining the sanitary status of hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) orchards located in the provinces of Catania and Messina, Sicily, were carried out. Twig and branch diebacks were frequently observed on the local hazelnut cultivars. Identification of the bacterial pathogen associated with these symptoms was performed by means of biochemical, pathogenicity and molecular tests as well as by using fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphic (fAFLP) analysis. The study revealed, for the first time, the presence of Pseudomonas syringae pv. coryli in the Sicilian hazelnut orchards. All the strains obtained did not show the presence of syrB gene. The fAFLP analysis pointed out the presence of three different lineages within the strains of this pathogen.