The bacterial spot, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. passiflorae , is one of the most important diseases of passion fruit, which can drastically limit the production in some regions of Brazil. The use of genetic resistance, chemical control and the adoption of exclusion measures are the more recommended practices for the control of this disease. To produce the resistant varieties knowledge about the variability of both host and pathogen is needed. In this study, we investigated the variability of 50 pathogenic isolates of X. axonopodis pv. passiflorae, collected from four production areas in São Paulo State. We used RAPD markers (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) for identification of the degree of genetic similarities through dice coefficient, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), among as well as within populations and clustering by the UPGMA method. Based on the clustering, the five more divergent isolates were selected for agressiveness trials. The similarity coefficient ranged from 0.6887 to 0.9688. Clustering analysis grouped the isolates in seven categories and neither apparent correlation was identified among their geographical origin no clustering pattern. The AMOVA data showed that the variability within and among populations were 89.4% and 10.6% respectively. The clustering analysis indicated genic flow among the different production areas. The results highlights the importance of taking into consideration the bacterial genetic variability of this bacterium as well as its agressiveness during the selection of resistant varieties.
Diversity; Bacterium; Agressiveness
