Effect of temperature and photoperiod on Pseudomonas syringae pv. garcae inoculum production

Abstract

Bacterial halo blight (BHB), whose etiological agent is the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. garcae, is one of the main diseases occurring in coffee (Coffea arabica L.) leading to losses in nurseries and fields. This study aimed to assess the effect of five temperatures (20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 °C) and three photoperiods (continuous light, 12-hour light/dark, continuous dark) on the P. syringae pv. garcae inoculum concentration and the BHB progression re sulted from this inoculum, in coffee seedlings. Using a factorial design (5 x 3) with four replicates, Petri dishes inoculated with P. syringae pv. garcae were incubated for 48 hours, and the concentrations and bacterial cell dimensions were measured. The resulting inoculum was then used to inoculate coffee seedlings at 23 ± 2 °C in one leaf pair by wounding inoculation using a multi-needle apparatus. The disease severity was assessed, and the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) was calculated. Significant interaction (p < 0.05) between temperature and photoperiod was observed for inoculum concentration and cell dimensions. The highest inoculum concentration (2.2 x 10⁹ CFU/ml) was recorded at 25 °C under continuous light. The largest bacterial cells (4.4 µm in length and 0.7 µm in width) resulted from temperatures of 30 °C with 12-hour light/dark. For the AUDPC of BHB, a difference (p < 0.05) was observed only between inoculum production temperatures. The highest AUDPC was recorded at 25 °C, with a gradual decline observed as the temperature increased.