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Evaluation of Proposed Amended Names of Several Pseudomonads and Xanthomonads and Recommendations

First author: USDA-ARS-Foreign Disease Weed Science Research Unit, 1301 Ditto Avenue, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5023; second author: University of Nebraska, Plant Pathology Department, Lincoln 68583-0722; third author: VPI & SU, Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0330; fourth author: Institute fur Pflanzenpathol, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, 37077 Germany; and fifth author: University of Florida, Department of Plant Pathology, Gainesville 32611-0680

In 1980, over 90% of all plant-pathogenic pseudomonads and xanthomonads were lumped into Pseudomonas syringae and Xanthomonas campestris, respectively, as pathovars. The term “pathovar” was created to preserve the name of plant pathogens, but has no official standing in nomenclature. Proposals to elevate and rename several pathovars of the genera Pseudomonas and Xanthomonas to the rank of species has caused great confusion in the literature. We believe the following changes have merit and expect to adopt them for publication in a future American Phytopathological Society Laboratory Guide for Identification of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria. Upon review of published data and the Rules of The International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, we make the following recommendations. We reject the proposal to change the name of P. syringae pvs. phaseolicola and glycinea to P. savastanoi pvs. phaseolicola and glycinea, respectively, because both pathogens are easily differentiated phenotypically from pv. savastanoi and convincing genetic data to support such a change are lacking. We accept the elevation of P. syringae pv. savastanoi to the rank of species. We accept the reinstatement of X. oryzae to the rank of species with the inclusion of X. oryzicola as a pathovar of X. oryzae and we accept the species X. populi. We agree with the elevation of the pvs. cassavae, cucurbitae, hyacinthi, pisi, and translucens to the rank of species but not pvs. melonis, theicola, and vesicatoria type B. We recommend that all type A X. vesicatoria be retained as X. campestris pv. vesicatoria and all type B X. vesicatoria be named X. exitiosa. We reject the newly proposed epithets arboricola, bromi, codiaei (poinsettiicola type B), hortorum, sacchari, and vasicola and the transfer of many pathovars of X. campestris to X. axonopodis. The proposed pathovars of X. axonopodis should be retained as pathovars of X. campestris.