Isolation and characterization of bacteriophage cultures active against bacterial phytopathogen Erphinia amylovora

Fire blight of fruit crops causes great economic damage to fruit production, most severely affecting on apples and pears. The causative agent, Erwinia amylovora is of quarantine concern in a number of countries of the world, moreover the disease has a wide geographic distribution: cases of E. amylovora defeat have been recorded in more than 40 countries. Specific bacteriophages can serve as a biological control method of the fire blight epiphytotics. The aim of the study was to create a collection of E. amylovora bacteriophages, potential agents for controlling fire blight of fruit crops. The objectives of the study included isolation of bacteriophage cultures from environmental samples and the maintenance of the viability of the culture collection under laboratory culture conditions. The article provides information on the primary characterization of the morphological and physiological properties of new bacteriophages isolated from different regions in Belarus in 2017-2018. А high level of stability and lytic activity was shown under laboratory cultivation for Hena1, Hena2, Roscha1 and Dichka bacteriophages. Using TEM, the morphology of bacteriophage particles was investigated, and Hena1, Hena2, Roscha1 and Dichka were attributed to Myoviridae family. The necessary organic additives to the nutrient medium for cultivation of bacteriophages Micant and Stean were established: 2.5% sorbitol, 0.4% glycine or2.5% glucose.