Bacterial spot of capsicum and tomato in Yugoslavia

The causal agent of bacterial spot of capsicum and tomato grown in different regions in Yugoslavia was investigated. Isolations were made from diseased material collected in recent years. The biochemical and physiological characteristics of isolated bacteria were studied by standard bacteriological tests. The race of the pathogen was determined on differential cultivars of capsicum and tomato. The causal agent of the disease was identified according to the concepts of the time as Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. Strains isolated from diseased capsicum were non-pectolytic and non-amylolytic, and did not infect tomato plants. According to the reaction of capsicum cv. Early Calwonder and its isogenic lines, these strains belonged to‘pepper races’1 and 3 of X. vesicatoria. Tomato strains showed pectolytic and amylolytic activity and were not pathogenic to capsicum. Accordingly, the capsicum strains could now be considered to be X. axonopodis pv. vesicatoria and the tomato strains X. vesicatoria.