Bacterial blight of philodendron caused by Pseudomonas cichorii in Brazil.


The occurrence of Pseudomonas cichorii causing dark leaf spots on philodendron plants (Philodendron spp.) is decribed. The disease was observed in planting in the county of Holambra, State of São Paulo, Brazil. These spots may coalesce and produce extended necrotic areas. Differences on resistance were observed among the cultivars through artificial inoculations. Apparently, the cultivar Amarelo was the most resistant while ‘Boulevard’, ‘Red Emerald’ and another four unidentified cultivars showed high susceptibility to the bacterium, showing a great number of spots per leaf area. Strains were deposited on nstituto Biológico, Seção de Bacteriologia Fitopatológica (IBSBF) Culture Collection under accession numbers 1262 and 1263.