Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae as the new causal agent of cabbage leaf blight

Cabbage with excellent source of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals, is among the most popular vegetables worldwide. In 2016, during our surveys of cabbage diseases in the Mazandaran province, Iran, symptoms of blight and detaching of leaves, water soaking, browning and decline were observed on the mature plants of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata). Bacterial isolation from the infected plants was performed using conventional microbiological methods. The isolated strains were identified through amplification and sequencing of the partial gyrB and rpoD genes and also through standard biochemical, physiological, and pathogenicity tests. Analysis of the molecular data by bioinformatics software clustered representative isolates into Pseudomonas syringae sensu stricto. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to confirm the occurrence of bacterial leaf blight of cabbage caused by Pseudomonas syringae sensu stricto in Iran by a multiple approach.