Répartition géographique de la bactériose vasculaire du manioc en Colombie et variabilité de l`agent pathogène

Cassava is an important crop in Colombia grown on approximately 196 000 hectares of land. One of the limiting factors for production is Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis (Xam). The geographical distribution of the disease and its incidence are described for different ecological zones of Colombia. The bacterial strains collected in 3 zones were characterized using a molecular approach and their virulence was assessed. A total of 26 groups of Xam were defined and their distribution in the 3 ecological zones analysed. Pathogen variability was very low in the highland zone. Implications of the results for improving genetic resistance are discussed.