A new bacterial disease of strawberry in the Netherlands caused by Erwinia pyrifoliae

Abstract: During the late spring in 2013 strawberry plants (Fragaria x ananassa cv. Elsanta) showing an intense blackening of their immature fruits, their fruit calyxes and the attached stems were found at several locations (greenhouses) in the Netherlands. The isolates differed biochemically from E. amylovora and they were closely related to biochemical profiles of the Erwinia pyrifoliae reference strain LMG 25888. The isolates were further identified as E. pyrifoliae based on the real time PCR assay. Pathogenicity of several isolates was tested and confirmed on potted strawberry plants (cv. Elsanta).