First Report of Soft Rot Induced by Dickeya dadantii on Euphorbia hypogaea in Korea

Abstract

In a survey conducted in March 2023, <i>Euphorbia hypogaea</i> plants cultivated within greenhouses in Yongin, Korea exhibited water-soaked areas near the stem base, close to the soil. Subsequent isolation from diseased <i>E. hypogaea</i> led to the identification of a bacterial strain, designated as CBNUMPBL-103. The isolate was identified as <i>Dickeya dadantii</i> through sequencing of the 16s rRNA and phylogenetic analysis. The pathogenicity of the isolate was confirmed by inoculating it into healthy <i>E. hypogaea</i>, resulting in the manifestation of similar symptoms observed during the survey. The re-isolated strain recovered from inoculated plants showed a similar morphology with the inoculated strain. This is the first documentation of <i>D. dadantii</i> causing soft rot of <i>E. hypogaea</i> in Korea.