Symptoms of soft rot showed in some fields cultivated with garlic crop in the
Kissweh region (Damascus countryside). Studying this disease, found that the
incidence rates ranging between 2.91% to 5.59%. 55 bacterial isolates were
isolated from inf
ected samples collected during the seasons 2005 and 2006. The
results of five biochemical tests showed that 22 isolates were pectinolitic and
they were pathogenic to garlic plant and gave symptoms similar to those
observed in the field, theses isolates were classified as belonging to the genus
Pectobacterium. To determine the species of the bacteria, they have been
characterized towards nine biochemical tests, which allowed the classification
of 7 isolates as Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, 6 isolates
belonged to Pectobacterium atrosepticum, one isolate to Dickeya chrysanthemi
(Pectobacterium chrysanthemi), 6 isolates have not been classified and 2 isolate
did not characterized . These results have shown for the first time the isolation
and identification of the Pectobacterium bacteria causing soft rot on garlic crop
in Syria.
