Bacterial Soft Rot of Myoga ( Zingiber Mioga ) Caused by Erwinia Chrysanthemi

In 2010, a bacterial soft rot was found on myoga [Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Rosc.] in Japan. Initial small spots on flower buds rapidly enlarged while changing from light brown to brown. Diseased flower buds became completely rotten. Several bacteria isolated from the diseased tissues caused the same symptoms as those observed in the fields and were reisolated from the tissue. These bacteria were identified as Erwinia chrysanthemi and were classified into subdivision IV and biovar 3. This is the first report of bacterial soft rot of myoga in the world.