Bacterial Spot of Pepper and Tomato in Barbados. Heather P. Ward, Department of Biology, Cave Hill Campus, University of the West Indies, Barbados. Leonard W. O’Garro, Department of Biology, Cave Hill Campus, University of the West Indies, Barbados. Plant Dis. 76:1046-1048. Accepted for publication 20 May 1992. Copyright 1992 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-76-1046.

Bacterial spot of pepper and tomato, caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, is widespread and severe in Barbados. The bacterium was isolated from infected plants and seeds of six of 24 commercial pepper and tomato cultivars. When the bacterial strains were tested for pathogenicity, races 1–3 were detected, with race 1 strains two to nine times more abundant than races 2 and 3. Strains from seeds were commonly race 1 or nonpathogenic, and some tomato strains were virulent on the tomato cultivar Hawaii 7998. Of the strains tested for sensitivity to bactericides, 61, 64 and 47% were resistant to copper, zinc, and streptomycin, respectively.