Abstract
Almond cultivation in southwestern Iran, accounting for over 30% of the national production, is currently threatened by an emerging bacterial disease. During 2023-2025, a comprehensive survey was conducted across 11 districts in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari and Isfahan provinces to investigate the distribution and etiology of this condition. Affected trees exhibited foamy bacterial canker, characterized by the profuse exudation of viscous, amber-colored gum containing numerous air bubbles from bark cracks and pruning wounds. Symptoms typically emerged in late spring and progressed rapidly during high summer temperatures, leading to sunken necrotic lesions, and extensive internal woody discoloration. Infected trees often showed canopy dieback and succumbed to the disease within two to three years. From 259 symptomatic samples, a Gram-negative bacterium was consistently isolated (yielding 118 isolates) and identified as Lonsdalea britannica based on phenotypic traits and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of the 16S rRNA, gyrB, and flhD genes. Pathogenicity was confirmed through detached shoot assays on almond cultivars 'Ferragnès' and 'Mamaee' and greenhouse inoculations on seedlings, fulfilling Koch's postulates. This study constitutes the first confirmed report worldwide of L. britannica causing foamy bacterial canker on almond, highlighting a significant biosecurity threat to the almond industry.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
A Gram-negative bacterium was consistently isolated from 259 symptomatic almond samples, yielding 118 isolates identified as Lonsdalea britannica.
- Taxon
- Almond
Prunus dulcise0 - Interactor
- Lonsdalea britannicaLonsdalea britannicae1pathogen
- Outcome
- a Gram-negative bacterium was consistently isolatede1
- Value
- 118 isolatese1
- Setting
- southwestern Irane0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Almond cultivation in southwestern Iran, accounting for over 30% of the national production, is currently threatened by an emerging bacterial disease”
e1“a Gram-negative bacterium was consistently isolated (yielding 118 isolates) and identified as Lonsdalea britannica based on phenotypic traits”
Claim · model-written summary
Lonsdalea britannica pathogenicity was confirmed on the almond cultivars Ferragnès and Mamaee in detached shoot assays.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise4
- Material
- 'Ferragnès' and 'Mamaee'e2
- Treatment
- detached shoot assayse2
- Interactor
- Lonsdalea britannicaLonsdalea britannicae1pathogen
- Outcome
- Pathogenicitye2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“a Gram-negative bacterium was consistently isolated (yielding 118 isolates) and identified as Lonsdalea britannica based on phenotypic traits”
e2“Pathogenicity was confirmed through detached shoot assays on almond cultivars 'Ferragnès' and 'Mamaee'”
e4“This study constitutes the first confirmed report worldwide of L. britannica causing foamy bacterial canker on almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Greenhouse inoculations on almond seedlings fulfilled Koch's postulates for Lonsdalea britannica.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise4
- Organ / stage
- seedlingse3
- Interactor
- Lonsdalea britannicaLonsdalea britannicae1pathogen
- Outcome
- fulfilling Koch's postulatese3
- Setting
- greenhousee3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“a Gram-negative bacterium was consistently isolated (yielding 118 isolates) and identified as Lonsdalea britannica based on phenotypic traits”
e3“greenhouse inoculations on seedlings, fulfilling Koch's postulates”
e4“This study constitutes the first confirmed report worldwide of L. britannica causing foamy bacterial canker on almond”
Claim · model-written summary
This study is the first confirmed worldwide report of Lonsdalea britannica causing foamy bacterial canker on almond.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise4
- Interactor
- L. britannicaLonsdalea britannicae4pathogen
- Outcome
- first confirmed report worldwidee4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“This study constitutes the first confirmed report worldwide of L. britannica causing foamy bacterial canker on almond”
Claim · model-written summary
Symptoms of foamy bacterial canker emerged in late spring and produced sunken necrotic lesions on almond.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise4
- Outcome
- sunken necrotic lesionse5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“This study constitutes the first confirmed report worldwide of L. britannica causing foamy bacterial canker on almond”
e5“Symptoms typically emerged in late spring and progressed rapidly during high summer temperatures, leading to sunken necrotic lesions”
Claim · model-written summary
Infected almond trees succumbed to the disease within two to three years.
- Taxon
- almondPrunus dulcise4
- Outcome
- succumbed to the diseasee6
- Value
- within two to three yearse6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“This study constitutes the first confirmed report worldwide of L. britannica causing foamy bacterial canker on almond”
e6“Infected trees often showed canopy dieback and succumbed to the disease within two to three years”