Method for treatment and control of plant disease

摘要

The present invention provides methods for development of a virulent bacteriophage-based treatment for the control of plant diseases caused by Xylella fastidiosa. The invention further provides methods of isolating and propagating bacteriophage virulent to X. fastidiosa in a Xanthomonas bacterial host and for treating or reducing symptoms of X. fastidiosa infection in a plant. The invention further provides methods of isolating and propagating bacteriophage virulent to Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri and for treating or reducing symptoms of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri infection in a plant.

主权项

1. A method of preventing or reducing symptoms or disease associated with Xylella fastidiosa or Xanthomonas in a plant, comprising contacting said plant with particles of at least one virulent bacteriophage, wherein Xylella fastidiosa and/or Xanthomonas axonopodis are hosts of the bacteriophage, wherein the bacteriophage is a Xfas 300-type bacteriophage and displays the following characteristics:
(a) the bacteriophage is capable of lysing said Xylella fastidiosa and/or Xanthomonas bacteria; (b) the bacteriophage infects a cell by binding to a Type IV pilus; (c) the bacteriophage comprises a non-contractile tail with a capsid size ranging from 58-68 nm in diameter and belongs to the Podoviridae family; (d) the genomic size of the bacteriophage is about 43300 bp to 44600 bp; and (e) the bacteriophage prevents or reduces symptoms associated with Pierce's disease in a plant or plants.