Horse Chestnut Tree Disease: Conquering Conker Canker

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ScienceDaily (Apr. 19, 2010) — Scientists have decoded the genome of a bacterium that is threatening the UK's historic landscape.

The horse chestnut has become an iconic sight in Britain since its introduction in the 1500s but in 2002 a new lethal disease appeared that now infects over 70 per cent of trees in some areas. Bleeding canker, caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pathovar aesculi (Pae), causes lesions which bleed like open sores and in severe cases can kill large mature trees within one to two seasons.
"Comparing the genomes of British strains of the bacterium has shown us they are very similar and probably originated from a single introduction into the UK within the last few years," said Dr David Studholme who led the analysis of the DNA sequences at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich.

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