Erwinia carotovora – NBRC 103133

Erwinia carotovora

Erwinia carotovora is a rod shaped bacterium that was named after the crop of carrots from which it was first isolated. The bacterium infects a variety of vegetables and plants including carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and ornamental plants like iris. These widespread microbes can be found in soil, guts of insects, water and suspended aerosols in air.

A major problem in agriculture, the microbes ceaselessly invade crops of potatoes and other vegetables in the fields or in storage that cause plant tissues to become soft and watery which eventually turn slimy and foul-smelling. Whereas Erwinia carotovora subsp. atrosepticum’s pathogencity is restricted to potatoes in temperate temperatures, Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora infects a much broader host of plants, including potatoes, in warmer climates.