First report on Papaya Dieback Disease caused by Erwinia Psidii

Abstract

Malaysia was estimated produces 35,600 tonnes Papaya each year and exported 22,200 tonnes to the world (FAOSTAT 2013). The increase in global demand for Papaya has led to improvement in Papaya quality and the production in Malaysia. However, the Papaya industry is threatened by the outbreak of Bacterial Dieback Disease in 2003 (Maktar et 01., 2008). The disease is capable of destroying the quality trees and cause yield loss. Years of research confirmed that Papaya Dieback Disease is caused by Erwinia Papayae (Maktar et 01., 2008) and Erwinia Mallotivora (Noriha et al., 2011) in Malaysia. Noriha et al. (2011) had confirmed that Erwinia Mallotivora is the main causal agent of this deadly disease in Peninsular Malaysia. However, there is not much information on this disease in Sabah until it was detected recently in Kota Belud. This paper will serve as the first report on the identification of a bacterium not usually associated with papaya disease, namely the Erwinia Psidii, in causing Papaya Dieback Disease.