Abstract
The effects of the inoculation of Pseudomonas syringae pv. eriobotryae on the terminal buds, grafted parts and leaves of one-year-old loquat plants upon plant growth, lesion formation and fruit productivity were surveyed for eight years after inoculation. It has been observed that the growth of plants inoculated to their terminal buds was reduced within the four or five years after inoculation in comparison to that of the uninoculated plants, especially in respect of plant height, trunk diameter and crown area. Similar phenomena have also been observed in the case of grafted parts of inoculated plants within two years after inoculation. There was no differences in the total number of leaves between the terminal bud of inoculated and uninoculated healthy plants, but in comparison to the healthy ones terminal bud of inoculated plants has more younger leaves instead of older ones. In the case of grafted part of inoculated plants, the total numbers of both the younger and older leaves were fewer and the sizes of the leaves were also smaller than those of the uninoculated ones. Increased number of branching with shorter in length had been recorded in the terminal buds of inoculated plants compared to that of the healthy plants, whereas no marked differences on the number and size of the twigs had been observed among the leaves inoculated and uninoculated healthy plants. In respect of the development of lesions, the highest number of 259.3 lesions per plant has been developed within eight years in the terminal buds of inoculated plants and a considerable lesions developed on the grafted parts of inoculated plants. In response to the fruits production on both the terminal bud and grafted part inoculated plants were exceedingly decreased compared to that of the uninoculated healthy plants due to the infection of the seedling stages which ultimately reduced, stunted and distorted the growth of the plants. In the inoculated plants, the number of flower buds and of fruit clusters reduced to resulting dramatic yield losses.
