T1 Polyphasic Analysis of Isolates from Kiwifruit Reveal New Genetic Lineages of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidifoliorum Look-Alike A1 Morán, Félix A1 Marco-Noales, Ester A1 Landeras, Elena A1 Roselló, Montserrat A1 Abelleira, Adela A1 Gonzalez, Ana A1 López, María M. K1 pathovars K1 MLSA K1 virulence K1 classification K1 linage K1 H20 Plant diseases K1 Actinidia deliciosa K1 Pseudomonas syringae AB Currently, kiwifruit cultivation arouses great economic interest in the agricultural sector in several countries of the European Union due to high consumer demand and good results achieved in terms of production potential and fruit quality. One of the main bacterial species that cause yield losses in kiwifruit plants is Pseudomonas syringae. Diseases such as bacterial canker, caused by pathovar (pv.) actinidiae; floral bud necrosis caused by pv. syringae and leaf spots caused by pv. actinidifoliorum (Pfm) are clear examples. Between 2014 and 2017, in the main kiwifruit producing areas in the north and east of Spain, several surveys were carried out in search of these pathogens. Analyses realized from symptomatic and asymptomatic plants of Actinidia deliciosa revealed the existence of new bacterial isolates close to Pfm. These new isolates werelow virulence pathogens similar to Pfm but belonging to a new group of P. syringae that affected the leaves of A. chinensis var. deliciosa. This study focused on the characterization and classification of these new isolates by a polyphasic approach in order to provide more information for understanding how the different populations of P. syringae affecting kiwifruit. They had the phenotypic characteristics of Pfm but by molecular approaches, they constituted a supported genetic lineage closely-related to Pfm independent of the five lineages described so far. This work revealed the great diversity found in P. syringae speciesaffecting kiwifruit plants and supports the hypothesis that Pfm is a low virulence pathogen which is long established in Europe. PB MDPI SN 2073-4395 YR 2021 FD 2021 LK http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7811 UL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7811 LA en NO Morán, F., Marco-Noales, E., Landeras, E., Roselló, M., Abelleira, A., Gonzalez, A. J. et al. (2021). Polyphasic Analysis of Isolates from Kiwifruit Reveal New Genetic Lineages of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidifoliorum Look-Alike. Agronomy, 11(12): 2464. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11122464 DS MINDS@UW RD May 27, 2022