The Changing Face of Bacterial Soft-Rot Diseases

Bacterial soft rot is a disease complex caused by multiple genera of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, with Dickeya and Pectobacterium being the most widely studied soft-rot bacterial pathogens. In addition to soft rot, these bacteria also cause blackleg of potato, foot rot of rice, and bleeding canker of pear. Multiple Dickeya and Pectobacterium species cause the same symptoms on potato, complicating epidemiology and disease resistance studies. The primary pathogen species present in potato-growing regions differs over time and space, further complicating disease management. Genomics technologies are providing new management possibilities, including improved detection and biocontrol methods that may finally allow effective disease management. The recent development of inbred diploid potato lines is also having a major impact on studying soft-rot pathogens because it is now possible to study soft-rot disease in model plant species that produce starchy vegetative storage organs. Together, these new discoveries have changed how we face diseases caused by these pathogens.