Detection of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae causing bacterial blight on pomegranate in South Africa

In 2007, an outbreak of disease occurred in South African pomegranate orchards. The symptoms included leaf and fruit spots, and cankers on stems, branches and trunks. Based on biochemical and molecular analyses and pathogenicity tests, the bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae was identified as the causal agent. This is the first report of bacterial blight on pomegranate in South Africa.