Resumen
- During 2013 and 2014, farms in the municipality of La Cumbre, Valle del Cauca (Colombia), that produce the 'Calima' hybrid tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, were visited. Tomato plants with soft, aqueous lesions and brown lesions on the lower stem were observed. The vascular bundles were necrotic and in various states of decay, with some plants presenting cracking symptoms along the stem. At advanced stages of the disease, presence of exudates from the lesions was observed. Due to the destruction of medular tissue, the stems appeared hollow and brittle, resulting in symptoms of chlorosis and slight loss of turgidity in leaves. The incidence of the disease ranged from 5 to 80%. Based on morphological, biochemical, molecular (nucleotide sequences analysis) and pathogenicity tests, the causal agent was identified as P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense [P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliensis]. This is thought to be the first report of P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense causing bacterial stem rot of tomatoes in Colombia.