Abstract In this study, we investigated the influence of temperature and pH on the growth of Erwinia psidii , as well as its persistence in soils from native eucalyptus forests. Bacterial growth was assessed in liquid medium by measuring optical density (OD₆₀₀) under different temperature (5–50 °C) and pH (3.0–11.0) conditions, while the survival of a rifampicin-resistant strain, E. psidii (CR01R), was evaluated in sterile and non-sterile soils from Eldorado do Sul and Três Lagoas, Brazil, by monitoring CFU g − 1 over time. The bacterium grew between 10 and 45 °C, with optimal growth at 28–30 °C, and within a pH range of 5.0–10.0, with an optimum at pH 7.0. Although cells remained viable at 5 °C, no active growth was observed. In non-sterile soils, E. psidii survived up to 15 days in Eldorado do Sul and 45 days in Três Lagoas, whereas persistence exceeded 75 days in sterile soils. These differences may be associated with environmental factors such as pH, soil texture, and microbial activity. Under favorable conditions, such factors may enhance bacterial proliferation and increase the risk of eucalyptus bacterial blight. However, our results also indicate that the bacterium has limited persistence under native soil conditions.
Lanna-Filho et al. (Mon,) studied this question.