Direct PCR diagnosis of bacterial pathogens causing leaf browning of tea [Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze]

Abstract

To establish a direct PCR method to diagnose Pseudomonas syringae pv. theae (Pst), Acidovorax valerianellae (Av) and A. avenae subsp. avenae (Aaa), that cause browning of tea leaves, we modified previously reported primers specific for Pst and designed primers to specifically amplify sequences from bacterial species that cause bacterial spots and hypersensitivity reactions. The method detected the causative bacteria responsible for browning of tea plant leaves based on the size of the amplified PCR fragment. This technique is convenient for simple diagnosis of bacterial diseases of tea plants.