PHENOTYPIC VARIATION AND SURVIVAL OF GENETICALLY MARKED PSEUDOMONAS-TOLAASII IN MUSHROOM COMPOST

Citation
Rm. Wu et al., PHENOTYPIC VARIATION AND SURVIVAL OF GENETICALLY MARKED PSEUDOMONAS-TOLAASII IN MUSHROOM COMPOST, Canadian journal of microbiology, 44(4), 1998, pp. 373-377
Citations number
24
Categorie Soggetti
Microbiology,"Biothechnology & Applied Migrobiology",Immunology,Biology
ISSN journal
00084166
Volume
44
Issue
4
Year of publication
1998
Pages
373 - 377
Database
ISI
SICI code
0008-4166(1998)44:4<373:PVASOG>2.0.ZU;2-J
Abstract
The role of Pseudomonas tolaasii as an important pathogen of the commo n mushroom Agaricus bisporus is difficult to study in the microbially complex growth medium used for mushroom production. Two strains of P. tolaasii that had been marked with kanamycin resistance and xylE genes were introduced individually into casing soil over mushroom compost. Survival studies revealed that P. tolaasii numbers in casing soil over mushroom compost decreased a 1000-fold in the first 9 days and then r emained relatively stable over the rest of the monitoring period. The presence of the pathogenic colony form and the nonpathogenic colony va riant was monitored on mushroom caps and in mushroom compost to detect any phenotypic variation while incubated in these environments. Rever sion from the nonpathogenic to pathogenic form was detected following isolation and culture from diseased mushroom caps. Inoculation of the marked strains directly onto the cap or into compost beds seeded with A. bisporus resulted in the appearance of brown blotch symptoms.