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Ecology and Epidemiology

Soybean Primary Leaves as a Site for Epiphytic Multiplication of Pseudomonas glycinea. B. W. Kennedy, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108; G. L. Ercolani, Visiting Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, Permanent address: Istituto di Microbiologia Agraria e Tecnica, Universita degli Studi, Facolta di Agraria, 70126 Bari, Italy. Phytopathology 68:1196-1201. Accepted for publication 1 March 1978. Copyright © 1978 The American Phytopathological Society, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121. All rights reserved.. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-68-1196.

A suspension containing 10³ or 10⁴ colony-forming units of either a motile or a nonmotile strain of Pseudomonas glycinea per milliliter was sprayed on the abaxial surface of soybean primary leaves. The distribution of inoculum between the phylloplane and the mesophyll (“epiphyllous” and “endophyllous” inoculum, respectively) was determined immediately after inoculation. Colony counts up to 28 days after inoculation showed that bacterial populations derived from the total dose of inoculum were significantly greater than those developing from the endophyllous portion of inoculum only. Symptomless leaves and leaves bearing up to four bacterial blight lesions supported significantly higher populations arising from epiphyllous inoculum than did leaves with five such lesions.