SENSITIVITY OF THE FIRE BLIGHT PATHOGEN ERWINIA AMYLOVORA TO ANTIBIOTICS

Abstract

Fire blight is one of the most dangerous diseases of seed fruit crops. It is a quarantine disease for many countries, including Kazakhstan. Currently, numerous outbreaks of fire blight are registered in the south and southeast of Kazakhstan, which poses a serious threat to fruit growing in the country.

One of the radical methods of combating fire blight, as a quarantine disease, is the uprooting of trees, which will lead to large economic costs and may not be effective.

In America and European countries, the antibiotic streptomycin has been used for a long time to combat fire blight. It has been indispensable for fighting fire blight for more than 60 years without reports of adverse effects on humans and the environment. In the USA and Israel, where streptomycin has long been the main means of combating fire blight, Erwinia amylovora has developed resistance to this antibiotic. In Europe, where this antibiotic is banned in crop production, it is used when a high risk of disease is predicted.

The aim of our research was to evaluate the sensitivity of E. amylovora bacteria to streptomycin and other antibiotics in the laboratory.

The results of the study showed that the tested antibiotics are superior to streptomycin in bactericidal properties. High bactericidal properties were shown by ofloxacin and cefazolin, which indicates the possibility of their use against the dangerous quarantine disease fire blight at the risk of epiphytotic disease, leading to the death of fruit trees. This requires in-depth and comprehensive research.