Emerging Xanthomonas prunicola Strains Cause Bacterial Leaf Necrosis of Wheat

Xanthomonas prunicola, initially described as a nectarine pathogen, has emerged as the causal agent of a new wheat disease, bacterial leaf necrosis (BLN). This study compared X. prunicola strains isolated from wheat fields in Uruguay and the United States with nectarine-associated strains using genomic and pathogenicity analyses to identify factors driving host specificity. Pathogenicity assays revealed clear differences between the two groups: whereas X. prunicola wheat-associated strains caused distinct dry necrosis lesions in wheat, the reference strain isolated from nectarine failed to induce any symptoms in this host. Surprisingly, most of the wheat strains elicited water-soaking symptoms in Prunus persica, similar to those caused by the X. prunicola strain isolated from nectarine. Complete high-quality genomes were obtained for the six selected X. prunicola strains. Genomic analyses confirmed their identification and revealed that wheat-associated strains form a distinct phylogenomic cluster separated from nectarine-associated strains. Comparative analyses identified key differences, including a functional type VI secretion system, absent in nectarine strains, and unique type III effectors, XopR and XopW, potentially linked to wheat pathogenicity. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the epidemiology of this emerging pathogen, transmission pathways, and host specificity to mitigate its impact on wheat production and develop targeted control strategies.