Streptomyces ipomoea
Prepared by Emma Lookabaugh
Class Project for PP 728, Soilborne Plant Pathogens, Fall 2012
Pathogen:
Streptomyces ipomoea
Host range and distribution:
Sweet potatoes; Ipomoea batatas; found in all major sweet potato production regions in the U.S. and Japan.
Introduction:
Streptomyces soil rot or pox is a widespread disease of sweet potato in North Carolina that results in a reduction in plant growth and severe yield losses. It is caused by the soilborne filamentous bacterium, Steptomyces ipomoea, and is able to persist in soil for many years in the absence of sweet potatoes. Fibrous roots and storage roots are infected in the field and symptom development varies based on the timing of root infection (Figure 1). Disease is favored by dry soils with pH above 5.2.
Two closely related Streptomyces species, Streptomyces scabies and Streptomyces acidiscabies, cause common scab of potato, beets, and radishes. Species of Streptomyces are well known for their ability to produce secondary metabolites. The common antibiotic, streptomycin, is produced by members in this genus.