Thirty-six strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) isolated from cabbage, kale and broccoli were identified according to their pathogenicity, phenotypic and genotypic characterization. Pathogenicity was confirmed by the injection method with a hypodermic syringe into the mesophilic tissue of cabbage leaves. All strains were Gramnegative, aerobic, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, grew at 35°C, produced levan, H2S and indole, did not reduce nitrate, hydrolyzed Tween 80, starch, gelatin and esculin and did not show tolerance to 0.1 and 0.02% TTC. The strains produced acid from d-arabinose, arginine, dulcitol, galactose, d-glucose, maltose, mannose, sorbitol, sucrose and xylose. The genetic characterization was based on the sequence analyses of 16S rDNA and ERIC and BOX PCR. Strains of different pathovars were also used to compare PCR resulting patterns. BOX-PCR of the strains from kale and broccoli, obtained using (GTG)5 primer, yielded patterns with a high similarity level to pathovar reference strain Xcc. The strains from cabbage yielded BOX and ERIC product patterns, distinguishing them from the other tested strains and reference strains. 16S rDNA of the representative strains was closely related to Xcc strain ATCC 33913. ERIC PCR and BOX using (GTG)5 primer generated different Xcc patterns and were effective in distinguishing strains from different plant hosts. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III43010 i br. III46007

SUMMARY Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Colletotrichum acutatum, Colletotrichum coccodes, andColletotrichum dematium are the four main species of Colletotrichum that cause tomato anthracnose. In Serbia, the occurrence of anthracnose on tomato fruit has been recorded during the last several years. Typical fruit symptoms include dark, sunken, and circular lesion with orange conidial masses. Pathogen isolates were obtained from a diseased tomato fruits, on PDA medium forming a white to gray colonies. The cultures developed black acervuli around the center of the colony. Conidia were hyaline, aseptate, and fusiform or rarely cylindrical. Appressoria were smooth, simple, clavate to ovate, and varied from light to dark brown. Pathogenicity tests with representative isolates were conducted on symptomless, detached tomato fruits. All tested isolates caused anthracnose lesions on tomato fruit after 7 days of incubation. Koch's postulates were fulfilled by reisolation from inoculated tomato fruits. PCR analysis (using species-specific primer pair, CaInt2/ ITS4) of genomic DNA from tomato isolates resulted in an amplification product of 490 bp, specific for C. acutatum, further confirming the identity of the pathogen. Based on morphological and molecular characteristics, the isolates from tomato fruit were determined as C. acutatum.

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Soft rot symptoms were observed on broccoli plants in several commercial fields in the western part of Serbia. Six strains of bacteria were isolated from diseased tissues and identified as Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum using conventional bacteriological and molecular methods. All strains were non-fluorescent, gram-negative, facultative anaerobes, oxidase-negative and catalase-positive, causing soft rot on potato and carrot slices and did not induce hypersensitive reaction on tobacco leaves. They grew in 5% NaCl and at 37°C, did not produce acid from α-methyl glucoside, sorbitol and maltose, nor reducing substances from sucrose, but utilized lactose and trehalose, and did not produce indole or lecithinase. The investigated strains showed characteristic growth on Logan's medium and did not produce blue pigmented indigoidine on GYCA medium nor "fried egg" colonies on PDA. The identity of strains was confirmed by ITS-PCR and ITS-RFLP analyses and by sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. In a pathogenicity assay, all strains caused tissue discoloration and soft rot development on inoculated broccoli head tissue fragments.

SUMMARYCharacteristics of pathogenic Pseudomonas bacterial strains isolated from cherry in Serbia are presented in the article. Two types of symptoms were observed on cherry trees at few localities with intensive production in Serbia (Belgrade, Čačak, Topola, Šabac, Novi Sad). The first symptom is bud necrosis and the second bacterial canker of cherry branch.Gram negative, fluorescent, oxidative bacterial strains were isolated from the margin of necrotic tissue. All investigated strains were levan and HR positive, while negative results were recorded for oxidase, pectinase and arginin dihydrolase tests (LOPAT+---+).Based on pathogenicity tests and differential GATT tests, investigated strains were divided in two distinct groups: the first group consisted of strains isolated from necrotic cherry branch which caused necrosis on artificially inoculated cherry, pear and lemon fruits, syringae leaves and bean pods, were gelatin and aesculin positive, and tyrosinase and tartrate negative (typical characteristics of P.s. pv. syringae). Contrary, second group strains were isolated from necrotic cherry buds, showed negative results in mentioned pathogenicity tests, gelatin and aesculin tests were negative, while tyrosinase and tartrate were positive (typical characteristics of P.s. pv. morsprunorum).REP PCR analyses showed that strains isolated from necrotic cherry buds belong to P. s pv. morsprunorum compared to referent strain. In contrast, isolates obtained from necrotic cherry branches had unique fingerprint profiles but different from all reference strains.According to the obtained results it was concluded that both pathovars of P. syringae (syringae and morsprunorum) cause necrosis of cherry trees in Serbia.