A Rhizobium rhizogenes outbreak broke out at a Belgian tomato grower

In Belgium, a tomato grower operating a 3.8-hectare area faced an outbreak of Rhizobium rhizogenes infection, one of the characteristic symptoms of which is excessive root growth. The first symptoms appeared already at the beginning of the season, and the infection reached its peak in just five months, when about 75% of the plants were found to be infected. This resulted in a yield loss of 6 kg/m². "The disease is caused by the bacterium Agrobacterium rhizogenes (newer name: Rhizobium rhizogenes), which can infect a wide variety of host plants, such as tomatoes, eggplants and cucumbers," said Ivan Casteels, employee of Roam Technology. - Agrobacterium rhizogenes is able to transfer part of its DNA into the plant cell. The plant cell will express the genes found on this piece of DNA, leading to the production and secretion of opines that the bacterium can use as a food source. In addition, the hormonal balance is upset, which makes plant cells more sensitive to auxins, which causes ...