A group of dangerous cauliflower diseases caused by black rot, bacterial leaf spot, and soft rot, which affect leaves and curds, reducing yield and produce quality.
In the reference
24
varieties
crop Cauliflower,
where this is mentioned in the description.
Black rot, caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, manifests as yellowing of leaf margins with the formation of V-shaped lesions and blackening of the veins, creating a black mesh pattern. The bacterium blocks the xylem with the exopolysaccharide xanthan, which halts the flow of nutrients. Bacterial leaf spot (Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola) is characterized by the appearance of angular dark spots on leaves and curd decay, whereas soft rot (Pectobacterium carotovorum) leads to rapid softening of curd tissues.
Breeding for resistance to black rot is hindered by the lack of effective genes within the species Brassica oleracea, which necessitates the use of wild relatives such as B. carinata and B. juncea. Resistance can be race-specific, manifesting as a hypersensitive response in the mesophyll, or stem-based, controlled by dominant genes. Several races have been identified for the black rot pathogen, yet the development of cultivars with complex resistance remains a challenging task for breeding programs.
Varieties of Cauliflower mentioned in the description
Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.