Bacterial leaf rot of Aloe vera in Aruba caused by Erwinia chrysanthemi
A severe bacterial leaf rot has been observed in the island of Aruba (in the Caribbean) in 1992, on Aloe vera. Symptoms usually appear 7-10 days after heavy rains at the bases of outer leaves, showing dark green, water soaked areas. Under humid conditions, these dark green areas expend extremely rapidely, parenchymal tissues are completely changed into a slimy mass and swell due to gas formation. Finally, the whole plant is destroyed. By using biochemical tests and fatty acid analysis, the authors have shown that the causal agent of this disease is Erwinia chrysanthemi biovar 3 (EPPO A2 quarantine pest) and were able to reproduce these symptoms by inoculating the bacterium to healthy plants of A. vera. This is the first report of Erwinia chrysanthemi biovar 3 on Aloe vera, and for the EPPO Secretariat this is the first report of E. chrysanthemi in Aruba.
Sources
de Laat, P.C.A.; Verhoeven, J.T.W.; Janse, J.D. (1994) Bacterial leaf rot of Aloe vera L., caused by Erwinia chrysanthemi biovar 3.
European Journal of Plant Pathology, 100 (1), 81-84.