Occurrence and characterization of Pectobacterium brasiliense causing soft rot on Zamioculcas zamiifolia plants in Greece

The soft rot inducing bacterium Pectobacterium brasiliense is considered one of the most virulent species among the Pectobacteriaceae. P. brasiliense affects a wide range of economically important crops and causes serious damages. In 2019 a bacterial disease was confirmed on Zamioculcas zamiifolia plants derived from commercial ornamental plant nurseries on the island of Crete in Greece. Pectobacterium brasiliense was isolated and subsequently identified morphologically, biochemically, physiologically and molecularly based on PCR with the specific primers BR1f/L1R and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA). The pathogenicity of the isolates was confirmed using artificial inoculations on ZZ plants with subsequent re-isolation and re-identification. To our knowledge this is the first record of Pectobacterium brasiliense causing soft rot on Zamioculcas zamiifolia plants in Greece and worldwide.