Abstract

Ralstonia Solanacearum Species Complex and Bacterial Wilt Disease

Fanhong Meng

The bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum is the causal agent for bacterial wilt on more than 200 plant species from 50 botanical families, including important crops such as potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper, tobacco and banana. R. solanacearum is considered a species complex, and is also a widely accepted model organism for the study of bacterial pathogenicity in plants. This review discusses the disease caused by R. solanacearum, the classification of the pathogen, the major virulence and pathogenicity factors and their complex regulation in R. solanacearum.