Acidovorax citrulli is the causal agent of bacterial fruit blotch (BFB), a serious threat to cucurbit fruit and seed production worldwide. In recent years, the BFB has spread to many areas of China, mainly via the inadvertent distribution of contaminated commercial seeds. To assess the prevalence of seedborne A. citrulli in commercial watermelon and other cucurbitaceous seedlots in China, a 9-year survey was conducted between 2010 and 2018. A total of 4,839 seedlots of watermelon and other cucurbitaceous species were collected from 13 major seed production areas of China and tested by a semiselective media-based colony PCR technique for A. citrulli. Overall, A. citrulli was detected in 18.00% (871/4,839) of all cucurbitaceous seedlots. The bacterium was detected in 21.59% (38/176), 19.19% (33/172), 23.44% (214/913), 40.76% (247/606), 13.28% (85/640), 15.40% (95/617), 13.25% (73/551), 8.03% (48/598), and 6.71% (38/566) of all commercial seedlots tested from the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 growing seasons, respectively. Additionally, the prevalence of A. citrulli in cucurbit seedlots was determined for different seed production areas. The prevalence of A. citrulli in cucurbitaceous seedlots produced in Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and 9 other provinces was 18.76% (582/3103), 26.34% (103/391), 21.47% (82/382), 11.11% (14/126), and 10.75% (90/837), respectively. This is the first survey for A. citrulli in commercial cucurbit seeds in China, and the relatively high prevalence suggests that commercial seeds represent a substantial source of primary inoculum that can threaten cucurbit seed and fruit production in China.
Keywords: epidemiology; pathogen survival; prokaryotes; small fruits.