Morpho-molecular characterization and in vitro management of bacterial wilt pathogen in cucurbits

Purposive sampling survey was conducted in 11 locations of three districts in Kerala and nine wilted cucurbits samples were collected. Isolation was carried on selective media Triphenyl Tetrazolium Chloride (TZC) agar medium and bacterial pathogen was identified based on cultural, morphological, biochemical characters and molecular characterization by 16S rRNA analysis. Studies showed that among nine cucurbits isolates obtained during survey, only three isolates proved the Koch’s postulates with per cent diseases incidence of 12.5 to 80 per cent. In three tested isolates a species-specific band of 1.5 kb was amplified in PCR that confirmed the identity of Klebsiella sp. However, this is the first report showing the Klebsiella sp. causing bacterial wilt on cucurbit crops in Kerala.