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. 1982 Jun;43(6):1335–1342. doi: 10.1128/aem.43.6.1335-1342.1982

Identity and Behavior of Xylem-Residing Bacteria in Rough Lemon Roots of Florida Citrus Trees †

John M Gardner 1, Albert W Feldman 1, Robert M Zablotowicz 1,‡
PMCID: PMC244237  PMID: 16346030

Abstract

An aseptic vacuum extraction technique was used to obtain xylem fluid from the roots of rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush.) rootstock of Florida citrus trees. Bacteria were consistently isolated from vascular fluid of both healthy and young tree decline-affected trees. Thirteen genera of bacteria were found, the most frequently occurring genera being Pseudomonas (40%), Enterobacter (18%), Bacillus, Corynebacterium, and other gram-positive bacteria (16%), and Serratia (6%). Xylem bacterial counts fluctuated seasonally. Bacterial populations ranged from 0.1 to 22 per mm3 of root tissue (about 102 to 2 × 104 bacteria per g of xylem) when bacterial counts were made on vascular fluid, but these numbers were 10- to 1,000-fold greater when aseptically homogenized xylem tissue was examined similarly. Some of the resident bacteria (4%) are potentially phytopathogenic. It is proposed that xylem bacteria have an important role in the physiology of citrus.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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