Bacterial causal agent: Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria

Symptoms: First signs on leaves as small, water-soaked spots. These become up to 1/4 inch in diameter, turn dark brown and appear greasy. Scabby lesions may appear on the fruit. During periods of high rainfall or humidity, spots on leaves may coalesce causing "blight" symptoms and abscission. Bacterial spot can be a seed-borne disease and can spread rapidly in the transplant bed.

Management: Transplant production should be carefully monitored for disease occurrence. Do not use infected plants for field planting and do not work transplants when they are wet. Maintain a preventative bactericide schedule in the transplant bed as well as the field. Use cultivars with resistance to specific races of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vesicatoria known to occur in the production area. Check http://premier.cdms.net/webapls/formsloginRef.asp?/webapls for current labels in ornamental production.