<p><em>Eutrema salsugineum</em> is an extremophile plant native to the Yukon Territory and coastal China. As an extremophile, Yukon <em>Eutrema</em> is tolerant to highly saline, drought conditions and cold temperatures while Shandong <em>Eutrema</em> can survive in highly saline conditions (Griffith et al., 2007; Guevara et al., 2012; Inan et al., 2004). The disease resistance responses of the Yukon and Shandong accessions of <em>Eutrema</em> were investigated to understand how an abiotic stress-tolerant plant responds to biotic stress. A pathosystem was developed using <em>Pseudomonas</em> <em>syringae</em> pv. <em>tomato</em> DC3000 (<em>Pst</em>) to examine <em>Eutrema</em> defense responses. Compared to <em>Arabidopsis </em>(Col-0), both <em>Eutrema</em> accessions exhibited resistance to <em>Pst,</em> with Shandong <em>Eutrema</em> displaying greater resistance than Yukon <em>Eutrema</em>. Resistance to <em>P. syringae</em> pv. <em>maculicola</em> (<em>Psm</em>) was also observed in both accessions. Furthermore, both <em>Eutrema</em> accessions displayed a differential capacity for effector-triggered immunity (ETI). RNA-Seq data of uninoculated Shandong vs. Yukon <em>Eutrema</em> revealed an overrepresentation of defense genes including <em>PR1</em> (<em>pathogenesis-related1</em>; Champigny et al., 2013). Expression of the <em>Eutrema</em> <em>PR1</em> ortholog in uninoculated Shandong leaves combined with enhanced resistance to <em>Pst</em> compared to Yukon <em>Eutrema</em> or Col-0 <em>Arabidopsis</em> suggests that Shandong plants exist in a defense-primed state. Resistance to other pathogens such as <em>Pectobacterium</em> <em>carotovorum</em> ssp. <em>wasabiae</em> (<em>Pcw</em>) further supported the hypothesis that Shandong <em>Eutrema</em> is primed for pathogen tolerance. The <em>Eutrema</em>-<em>P. syringae</em> pathosystem will facilitate future studies to understand how <em>Eutrema</em> deals with multiple or concurrent stresses and this knowledge will contribute to efforts to improve tolerance to both abiotic and biotic stress in crop plants.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

Many economically important crop systems exhibit an Age-Related Resistance (ARR) response whereby mature plants become resistant to pathogens they were susceptible to when younger. The signaling pathways and mechanisms of ARR have not been well studied. Arabidopsis displays ARR in response to P. syringae pv tomato (Pst). Several studies provide evidence that intercellular salicylic acid (SA) accumulation is required for ARR and SA acts as a direct antimicrobial agent to limit bacterial growth and biofilm-like aggregate formation. SA accumulation mutants are ARR defective; however, a modest level of resistance is occasionally observed leading to the hypothesis that other compounds contribute to ARR as antimicrobial agents. Previous studies demonstrated that CYP71A13 (a key enzyme in indolic biosynthesis) is expressed during the ARR response. I demonstrated that CYP71A12 functionally compensated for CYP71A13 during ARR, as cyp71a12/cyp71a13-1 mutants were consistently ARR-defective compared to their respective single mutants. I demonstrated that dihydrocamalexic acid (DHCA) accumulated in intercellular washing fluids (IWFs) collected from plants during the ARR response using high resolution mass spectrometry-based profiling. DHCA was detected in IWFs collected from wild-type ARR-competent plants and, was absent in IWFs from ARR-incompetent cyp71a12/cyp71a13 mutants. In vitro DHCA antimicrobial activity against P. syringae was not observed, but exogenous infiltration of DHCA into the leaf intercellular space restored ARR in cyp71a12/cyp71a13 mutants Unlike SA which exhibits direct antimicrobial activity against P. syringae, DHCA does not and instead may affect pathogen virulence in other ways. My research provides evidence that intercellular DHCA contributes to ARR in response to P. syringae in Arabidopsis. Understanding the genes and metabolites contributing to ARR will provide useful information for future crop breeding and genetic modification that will mitigate agricultural losses due to disease. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / During Age-Related Resistance (ARR), mature plants including some crop plants become resistant to pathogens they were susceptible to when younger. How ARR works is poorly understood. My objective was to identify potential antimicrobial metabolites contributing to ARR in Arabidopsis against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. Genetic analyses combined with mass-spectrometry based metabolite profiling demonstrates that two cytochromes P450, CYP71A12 and CYP71A13 contribute to ARR. My research provides evidence that DHCA accumulates in the leaf intercellular space in ARR-competent plants, where it may act to inhibit the bacterial infection process. DHCA has low antimicrobial activity against P. syringae suggesting its mechanism of action is not directly antimicrobial. Importantly, application of DHCA to the leaf intercellular space of cyp71a12/cyp71a13 restored ARR, confirming that DHCA contributes to ARR in Arabidopsis. Understanding ARR will provide useful information for future crop breeding and genetic modification that will mitigate agricultural losses due to disease.

Greenhouse environments often promote bacterial and fungal infections in important crop plants. Exogenous application of chemical inducers could help reduce the severity of infection, or even prevent infection. Small molecules such as glycerol, azelaic acid and pipecolic acid have been implicated as being important signaling molecules during Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR). To examine if these small molecules could be used to induce resistance in crop plants, exogenous treatment assays were developed in cucumber. Glycerol spray and azelaic acid infiltration induced modest resistance at locally treated leaves. Pipecolic acid soil treatment induced modest resistance in aerial tissue of cucumber plants, and strong resistance when plants were treated weekly. This knowledge may be useful in promoting the commercialization of SAR-associated compounds to protect important crop plants against disease. Plants possess multiple defense pathways that include an SA signaling component to initiate resistance to microbial pathogens. However, during Age-Related Resistance (ARR) in Arabidopsis, a number of studies support that SA acts as an anti-microbial and anti-biofilm agent against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) in the plant intercellular space. Little is known about the role of Pst biofilm formation during infection of young plants or if other defense responses act to suppress bacterial biofilm formation. Therefore Pst biofilm formation and the effect of PAMP Triggered Immunity (PTI) on bacterial biofilm formation was examined. PTI was induced with flg22 in wild-type Col-0, fls2, bak1-3 (PTI mutants) and sid2-2 (SA biosynthesis mutant). In vivo bacterial biofilm-like aggregate formation was monitored using Pst DC3000 PDSK-GFPuv and epifluorescence microscopy. Pst aggregate occurrence and size were positively correlated with bacterial success in susceptible plants (wild-type Col-0, fls2, bak1-3, sid2-2), while fewer and smaller bacterial aggregates were observed in Col-0 undergoing PTI. To determine if the extracellular polysaccharide, alginate was a major contributor to biofilm formation, in vivo bacterial aggregate formation was monitored using alginate deficient Pst-GFP. Alginate deficient Pst-GFP and wild-type Pst grew to similar levels in wild-type plants suggesting that the ability to produce alginate was not necessary for Pst pathogenicity and success in planta. Fewer alginate-deficient Pst aggregates were observed compared to wild-type Pst in inoculated plants, suggesting that the ability to produce alginate was modestly important for aggregate formation. These data provide novel insights into how biofilms form in planta, the association between pathogen virulence and biofilm formation, and how plant defense responses such as PTI not only reduce bacterial growth, but also target biofilms. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Pseudomonas syringae is an important bacterial plant pathogen that, as a species, is known to cause disease on hundreds of different plant species. However, any individual pathovar of P. syringae typically only causes disease on one or a few plant species, which constitute the host range of the pathovar. Plants are generally resistant to most pathogens primarily because the plant innate immune system is capable of recognizing conserved microbial-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). Adapted pathovars of P. syringae secrete effector proteins through a Type Three Secretion System (T3SS) to suppress the immune response elicited by their MAMPs. However, secretion of effectors can also trigger a strong plant immune response if the plant harbors resistance proteins capable of recognizing the secreted effectors. Successful pathovars, therefore, must secrete a combination of effectors capable of suppressing MAMP/Pattern-Triggered Immunity (PTI) without eliciting Effector-Triggered Immunity. Here we identify several novel strategies employed by P. syringae to overcome the plant immune system and cause disease. First, we demonstrate that, in place of the canonical T3SS used by all known pathogens of P. syringae, several apparently nonpathogenic isolates of P. syringae employ a novel T3SS that is functional but not necessary for colonization of plants. Despite being closely related to pathogenic isolates of P. syringae, the isolates employing the noncanonical T3SS do not cause disease on any tested plants and instead appear to act more as commensal organisms. Second, we advance the understanding of PTI by identifying a second region of bacterial flagellin that triggers PTI in addition to the archetypical MAMP flg22, which is recognized by the archetypical plant receptor FLS2. This new elicitor, termed flgII-28, is also detected by FLS2 and appears to be under selection in very closely related lineages of P. syringae. Alleles of flagellin present in one recently expanded and agriculturally problematic lineage of P. syringae appear to trigger less PTI on their host plant, tomato, than the ancestral allele suggesting that avoidance of PTI through allelic diversity in MAMPs is an effective alternative strategy to suppression of PTI through delivery of effectors. Finally, we start to elucidate a role for chemotaxis (chemical-directed movement) in P. syringae pathogenicity. Not only is chemotaxis required for pathogenicity of P. syringae on plants, but it also appears to contribute to delimiting the host range of several P. syringae pathovars. These results highlight that additional aspects of P. syringae pathogenicity, such as chemotaxis, can directly contribute to defining the host range of individual P. syringae pathovars. The current paradigm of P. syringae pathogenicity posits that MAMPS and the repertoire of effector proteins are the primary determinant of the host range of any P. syringae pathovar; in contrast these results inspire a more nuanced view of pathogenicity that considers multiple aspects of the infection process. / Ph. D.

Most plant pathogens are specialists where only few plant species are susceptible, while all other plants are resistant. Unraveling the mechanisms behind this can thus provide valuable information for breeding or engineering crops with durable disease resistance. A group of Pseudomonas syringae strains with different host ranges while still closely related were thus chosen for comparative study. We confirmed their close phylogenetic relationship. We found evidence supporting that these strains recombined during evolution. The Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato pathogen P. syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000 was found to be an atypical tomato strain, distinct from the typical Pto strains commonly isolated in the field that do not cause disease in A. thaliana, such as Pto T1. Comparing A. thaliana defense responses to DC3000 and T1, we found that T1 is eliciting stronger responses than DC3000. T1 is likely lacking Type III effector genes necessary to suppress plant defense. To test this, we sequenced the genomes of strains that cause and do not cause disease in A. thaliana. Comparative genomics revealed candidate effector genes responsible for this host range difference. Effector genes conserved in strains pathogenic in A. thaliana were expressed in T1 to test whether they would allow T1 to growth better in A. thaliana. Surprisingly, most of them reduced T1 growth. One of the effectors, HopM1, was of particular interest because it is disrupted in typical Pto strains. Although HopM1 has known virulence function in A. thaliana, HopM1 reduced T1 growth in both A. thaliana and tomato. HopM1 also increased the number of bacterial specks but reduced their average size in tomato. Our data suggest that HopM1 can trigger defenses in these plants. Additionally, transgenic detritivore Pseudomonas fluorescens that can secrete HopM1 shows dramatically increased growth in planta. The importance of genetic background of the pathogen for the functions of individual effectors is discussed. T1 cannot be manipulated to become an A. thaliana pathogen by deleting or adding individual genes. We now have a list of genes that can be studied in the future for the molecular basis of host range determination. / Ph. D.

Developing a flue-cured tobacco cultivar with high resistance to tobacco cyst nematode (TCN) is an important initiative in the Southern Piedmont of Virginia, where this pathogen causes severe yield losses. One hundred twenty eight lines representing a diverse geographic array of tobacco accessions, including cultivars from several types of tobacco, flue-cured-type tobacco introductions, and wild Nicotiana species were evaluated for TCN resistance under greenhouse conditions. Inheritance of TCN resistance has been reported to be closely linked or pleiotropic to inheritance of wildfire resistance. Consequently, accessions were also screened for wildfire resistance under greenhouse conditions to evaluate this relationship among a diverse group of tobacco accessions. Twenty-one accessions were identified with resistance to TCN. Response to the two pathogens was highly correlated. However, there was no relationship between resistance to the two pathogens for several accessions. 'KY 190', a fire-cured cultivar, possessed the N. longiflora source of wildfire resistance, but was found susceptible to TCN. This result seems to rule out pleiotropy and is consistent with the assertion that the two resistance genes are closely linked. six TCN resistant lines and two susceptible lines were selected and a diallel study was conducted to determine the inheritance of resistance to TCN. Additive gene action contributed significantly to inheritance of TCN resistance. Three accessions, 'Burley 64', 'Kutsaga 110', and 'Tl 1597', were determined to be the most promising parents for use in a breeding program designed to develop a flue-cured cultivar with a high level of TCN resistance. / Master of Science

Démarche d’ingénierie écologique en santé des plantes : gestion des couvre-sol des vergers pour lutter contre les bactérioses des arbres fruitiers provoquées par Pseudomonas syringaeIdentifier les réservoirs et sources d’inoculum des agents phytopathogènes est un enjeu majeur en pathologie végétale. Les systèmes agricoles pérennes, tels que les vergers, sont soumis aux attaques de nombreux ravageurs et agents microbiens pathogènes. P. syringae, agent phytopathogène responsable de l’émergence de maladies des arbres fruitiers, dont la récente épidémie du chancre bactérien du kiwi causée P. syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), représente un enjeu économique important au niveau mondial. En France, les moyens de lutte sont constitués de traitements cupriques et de gestes préventifs visant à réduire la propagation de la bactérie au sein et entre les vergers. Avec la prise de conscience de la nécessité de la conservation de l’environnement par les consommateurs et producteurs, les méthodes de cultures actuelles ont tendances à s’orienter vers celles de l’agroécologie et l’usage de l’ingénierie écologique au service de la santé des plantes. En verger, la gestion des communautés de plantes des couvre-sols donne de bons résultats dans la lutte conte certaines espèces de ravageurs, tels que les arthropodes herbivores, mais les effets sur les communautés de microorganismes pathogènes restent inexplorés. Les plantes couvre-sol et adventices des vergers hébergent d’abondantes communautés de P. syringae, cependant le rôle de ces couverts végétaux dans l’émergence des maladies des arbres fruitiers reste incompris. Par conséquent, les travaux de recherche presentés ici focalisent sur l’étude simultanée des communautés de P. syringae associées aux plantes couvre-sol et aux arbres fruitiers de trois vergers d’abricotiers et de quatre vergers de kiwis du département de la Drôme, sud-est de la France, choisis pour leur état sanitaire (sain, malade ou émergence de la maladie), ainsi que des pratiques de gestion du couvre-sol différentes (sol nu, enherbement des inter-rangs, enherbement des inter rangs et rangs des arbres). En l’absence d’outils permettant une identification rapide et une affiliation à l’un des 13 phylogroupes actuellement décris pour l’espèce P. syringae, l’étude du génome complet d’une cinquantaine de souches de P. syringae a permis la mise au point de marqueurs moléculaires capables d’identifier 9 des 13 phylogroupes. L’étude des communautés de P. syringae hébergées par les couvre-sols végétaux montre un effet de la composition des communautés des plantes couvre-sol sur l’abondance et la structure des communautés de P. syringae. La présence de Prunella vulgaris, une plante de la famille des Lamiaceae, est corrélée avec une diminution de l’abondance des P. syringae. La reproductibilité de ce résultat est actuellement en cours d’investigation dans une parcelle expérimentale. Cependant, les résultats préliminaires montrent une absence d’effet de P. vulgaris sur l’abondance de P. syringae. L’étude simultanée des communautés de P. syringae des couvre-sols végétaux et des arbres fruitiers montre que des échanges se font entre les deux compartiments en raison de la présence de souches génétiquement proches. Chez le kiwi, lorsque Psa est présent il coexiste toujours avec d’autres P. syringae, soulevant la question des interactions entre ces souches et leur rôle dans l’émergence de la maladie. Enfin, les résultats mettent en avant un potentiel antagonisme entre les phylogroupes 1 et 2. / Process of ecological engineering in plant health: study of the role of orchard ground cover plants in the emergence of fruit tree diseases caused by Pseudomonas syringaeIdentification of reservoirs and inoculum sources of plant pathogenic microorganisms is a major issue in plant pathology. Perennial agricultural systems, such as orchards, are exposed to many pests and pathogenic microorganisms. P. syringae, a phytopathogenic bacterium responsible for the emergence of diseases of fruit trees, including the recent outbreak of bacterial canker of kiwifruit caused P. syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), represent an important economic issue worldwide. In France, means of control of bacterial canker consist of copper treatments and preventive measures in order to reduce the spread of bacteria within and between orchards. With the awareness for environmental conservation by consumers and producers, current cultivation methods tend to be progressively replaced by more agroecological ones and the use of ecological engineering to improve plant health. Ecological engineering of orchard ground cover plant communities provides good results for the control of orchard pests, such as herbivorous arthropods, but the effects on pathogenic microbial communities remains unexplored. The ground cover plants and orchard weeds host abundant P. syringae communities, however the role of ground covers in the emergence of fruit tree diseases remains ignored. Therefore, the research presented here is focused on the simultaneous study of P. syringae communities associated with ground covers and fruit trees from three apricot and four kiwifruit orchards of Drôme county, southeastern France, chosen for their health status (healthy, diseased, or disease emergence), as well as different ground cover management practices (bare soil, ground cover in inter-rows, ground cover in inter-rows and tree rows). In the absence of tools for rapid identification and affiliation to one of 13 currently described phylogroups for the P. syringae species, the screening of whole genomes of more than fifty P. syringae strains has allowed the development of specific molecular markers able to identify 9 of the 13 phylogroups. Results show that ground cover P. syringae community abundances and structures are correlated to plant community composition. The presence of Prunella vulgaris, a plant of the Lamiaceae family, is correlated to a decrease in the P. syringae abundances. Reproducibility of this result is currently under investigation in an experimental field. However, preliminary results from the experimental field show that the presence of P. vulgaris in 1-year-old ground covers is not correlated to a decrease in P. syringae abundances. Simultaneous study of ground cover and fruit tree P. syringae communities highlight bacterial exchanges between these two compartments because of the presence of genetically correlated strains in both of them. When present, Psa coexist with other P. syringae, raising the question of the interaction between these strains and their role in the emergence of the disease. Finally, the results highlight a potential antagonism between phylogroups 1 and 2.

No description available.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:37:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 4434052 bytes, checksum: e6bd53f46965b44a3dcdbb9a5a63b4ff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-19 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This work aimed to select tomato prokaryotic phylloplane residents for biocontrol purposes, by using Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria and Alternaria solani as challenging pathogens. Additionally, to perform a screening test using detached leaves. Consequently, leaves from healthy tomato plants were collected at Viçosa, MG and epiphytic prokaryote populations were extracted by shacking them in PBS (0,85% NaCl in 0,1M phosphate buffer saline, pH 7.0) following sonication (60Hz, 20 minutes) and serial dilution and plating in culture medium. Three hundred bacterial isolates were obtained and preserved in refrigerator, with periodical tubetube transfer, in a refrigerator. The screening was performed in two selection cycles. In the first selection in greenhouse, with three replicates per isolate and Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria as challenging pathogen, 79 isolates were able to reduce disease by 82%. In a second selection cycle, using 6 replicates per isolate, the 33 isolates were able to reduce severity by 50% in average. The 33 isolates had their antagonistic potential tested against the tomato fungal and bacterial pathogens Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, Pseudomonas corrugata, Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, Alternaria solani and Corynespora cassiicola in vitro conditions. Out of the 33 isolates, the isolate RFK-24 inhibited growth of Xathomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis and Alternaria solani while isolate RFS-183 was able to inhibit Alternaria solani, Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato e Pseudomonas corrugata, but none of them inhibited Corynespora cassiicola. Being RFK-24 and RFS- 183 the ones with a wider antagonistic potential out of the 33 previously selected, they were chosen for continuing the research with detached leaves and the challenging pathogens Alternaria solani e Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. There was a positive correlation between disease severity reduction in plants the greenhouse and in detached leaves, for both antagonists. For situations involving large number of isolates to undergo mass screening, the approach with detached organs may replace the laborious and time consuming greenhouse screening. / O presente trabalho teve como objetivo isolar procariotos residentes de filoplano de tomateiro como agentes de biocontrole contra o patógeno Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. 300 isolados foram obtidos a partir de folhas sadias de tomateiros coletadas na micro-região de Viçosa-MG, as quais foram submetidas à extração das populações procarióticas epifíticas em solução de tampão fosfato (PBS) com emprego de ultra-som (60Hz, 20 min.) e semeadura de diluições em série em placas de Petri contendo meio 523. Em casa-de-vegetação, numa primeira etapa 79 isolados apresentaram capacidade de reduzir, em média, 82 % da severidade de doença. Desses, numa segunda etapa, 33 isolados apresentaram redução média da severidade de doença em 50 %. Os 33 isolados foram submetidos a testes de antibiose in vitro, em que foi avaliada a potencialidade em inibir o crescimento bacteriano e fúngico dos seguintes patógenos do tomateiro: Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, Pseudomonas corrugata, Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, Alternaria solani e Corynespora cassiicola. Dos 33 isolados pré- selecionados verificou-se que o isolado RFK-24 foi capaz de inibir o crescimento dos patógenos, Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis e Alternaria solani e o RFS-183 em inibir o crescimento dos patógenos Alternaria solani, Xanthomons campestris pv. vesicatoria, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato e Pseudomonas corrugata, mas ambos não inibiram o crescimento da Corynespora cassiicola. Os dois isolados foram selecionados para ensaios in vivo e em folíolos destacados, contra os patógenos desafiantes Alternaria solani e Xanthomons campestris pv. vesicatoria. Para ambos foi observada a correlação entre a severidade de doença apresentada em casa-de-vegetação e os resultados em folíolos destacados, como a inibição da germinação de conídios do patógeno fúngico e a supressividade em meio semi-seletivo dos antagonistas sob o patógeno bacteriano. Os resultados obtidos com o método com folíolos destacados e sua correlação com os dados de biocontrole experimental em casa-de-vegetação permitem deduzir que o uso de folíolos destacados pode ser utilizado como método para seleção massal.

Orientador: Suzete Aparecida Lanza Destéfano / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T19:29:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Goulart_MarcelaCristina_M.pdf: 1843141 bytes, checksum: 317126844277b642b5edc69d405b000b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: A soja é considerada uma das culturas mais importantes no Brasil, em função de seu alto valor sócio-econômico, determinado pelas inúmeras aplicações de seus produtos e subprodutos e consequente expressão no mercado interno e externo. No entanto, a cultura desta oleaginosa é frequentemente ameaçada com a ocorrência de um vasto número de doenças, que podem acarretar depreciação do produto, redução no rendimento e perdas econômicas para os produtores. Dentre as principais doenças bacterianas que afetam a cultura da soja, destacam-se a pústula bacteriana, causada por Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines (Xag); o crestamento bacteriano, causado por Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. glycines (Psg); e a murcha de Curtobacterium causada por Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (Cff), ocasionando perdas na produção de até 40%. A condição sanitária das sementes é extremamente importante se considerarmos que elas são veículos desses agentes fitopatogênicos que nelas podem se alojar e serem levados ao campo, provocando redução na germinação e vigor, e originando focos primários de infecção de doenças. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo desenvolver nova metodologia de diagnóstico com o uso das técnicas moleculares que permitissem detectar e identificar a presença de Psg, Xag e Cff em sementes de soja por meio do desenvolvimento de primers espécie específicos. Os primers desenhados a partir de sequências da região espaçadora 16S-23S RNAr, mostraram-se altamente específicos e sensíveis. O par de primers Curto2f/p322anti gerou um fragmento de 675 pb e capacidade de detecção a partir de 0,01 ng de DNA genômico e aproximadamente 5x103 UFC/PCR; o par de primers Psgl/p322anti gerou um fragmento de 500 pb e o grau mínimo de sensibilidade foi de 1 pg de DNA genômico e cerca de 80 UFC/PCR; o par de primers Xanth2f/p322anti gerou um fragmento de 545 pb e capacidade de detecção a partir de 1 ng de DNA genômico e cerca de 700 UFC/PCR. Posteriormente, as sementes de soja foram infectadas artificialmente nas condições de 1; 0,5 e 0,1% de infecção. Nas amplificações com os primers espécie-específicos desenvolvidos, foi possível detectar as fitobactérias em todos os níveis de infecção testados diretamente do extrato bruto, e nas amplificações após o enriquecimento do extrato (BIO-PCR) o sinal positivo foi potencializado / Abstract: Soybean is considered one of the most important crops in Brazil, due to its high socio-economic value, determined by its several products and sub products and its significant expression on the internal and external market. However, this oleaginous plant is often affected by the occurrence of different diseases, which cause depreciation of the product, reduction in yield and substantial economic losses. Among the main bacterial diseases, the bacterial pustule, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines (Xag), the bacterial blight caused by Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. glycines (Psg), and bacterial tan spot caused by Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens (Cff), producing yield losses of up to 40%. The seed health is extremely important since they are considered vehicles of pathogenic agents which can be led to the field, causing germination reduction and vigor; and yielding primary infection of the diseases. This study aimed to develop a new method of diagnosis using molecular tools to detect and identify Psg, Xag or Cff in soybean seeds, through species-specific primers. The primers were designed from sequences of the 16S-23S rRNA and they were highly specific and sensitive. The pair of primers Curto2f/p322anti generated a fragment of 675 bp and was able of detecting down to 0.01 ng of genomic DNA and about 5x103 CFU/PCR; the primer set Psgl/p322anti produced a fragment of 500 bp and reached a detection limit of 1 pg of genomic DNA and about 80 CFU/PCR; and Xanth2f/p322anti yielded a fragment of 545 bp and could detect up to 1 ng of genomic DNA and about 700 CFU/PCR. Subsequently, soybean seeds were artificially infected in the following conditions: 1, 0,5% and 0,1% infection. In the amplifications using the species-specific primers, it was possible to detect the three different phytobacteria at all tested levels of infection directly of the crude extract and in the amplifications after enrichment of the extract (BIO-PCR), the positive signal was enhanced / Mestrado / Genetica de Microorganismos / Mestra em Genética e Biologia Molecular