Destructive potential of some Pseudomonas species implicated as the causal agents of brown blotch disease in Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq) P. Kumm

Abstract

The study evaluates the destructive potential of some Pseudomonas species implicated as the causal agents of brown blotch disease in Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq) P. Kumm. The study was designed to isolate and identify the causal agents of the bacterial brown blotch of P. ostreatus and evaluate the effect of the pathogen on the mushroom. The P. ostreatus samples were inoculated with the infectious stock of the bacterial Pseudomonas species, the suspected causal agents of brown blotch in the mushroom. The results revealed that the symptoms and the eventual disease were confirmed by pathogenic study to be Pserudomonas tolaasii. The results revealed that the symptoms and the eventual disease were confirmed by pathogenic study to be P. tolaasii. The results also implicated P. tolaasii and P. reactans had a pathogenic interaction that led to the bacterial brown blotch in the mushroom; the condition which started as yellow stripe on the pilli was an indication of the presence of P. reactans in the infectious stock used to inoculate the healthy mushroom. And the later formation of reddish brown on the pilli down the stipe was also an indication of the presence of P. tolaasii that led to the collapse of the mushrooms. The above findings confirmed that the interactions of these species of Pseudomonas were actually the causal agents of the bacterial brown blotch disease in Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq) P. Kumm.

Keywords: Pathogenic interactions, Pserudomonas tolaasii, P. tolaasii, P. reactans, Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq) P. Kumm, brown blotch, infectious stock, mushroom pilli and Stipe.