Similarity and distance indices among Pseudomonas savastanoi strains isolated from Olea europaea trees in Mosul city

Pseudomonas savastanoi is considered the main cause of knot disease in olive trees (Olea europaea), which is an important economic and food source in the Mediterranean region, including Iraq. In this study, there were several parts. The first part was about isolating Pseudomonas savastanoi bacteria from Olea europaea olive tumors, which can be found on infected olive trees in different parts of Nineveh Governorate and olive farms. The bacteria were then grown on different media, including King-B, MaCconky, Nutrient Sucrose Agar, and PVF-1 Agar. The white and pale colonies showed up as yellow, circular, raised colonies with smooth, airy edges. The study also did reinfections to see how strong the bacteria were at spreading the disease. PS3 isolate was more virulent, reaching an infection rate of 82% and conducting biochemical tests. The second part of the study involved the extraction of bacterial DNA. To find genetic links between isolates from different places, the RAPD-PCR method used five primers: OPR1, OPR2, R1, R2, and OPA1. We then selected five of these primers. The isolates PS1 and PS2 formed one group, while the isolates PS3 and PS4 formed another group through genetic analysis using a dendritic diagram and genetic similarity.