Citrus canker, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Hasse) Vauterin et al. 1995 (Xac), is one of the most important problems for citrus production around the world. Spraying with copper compounds is a major measure for control of the disease. The objective of this study was to determine the sensitivity of Xac strains from the State of Parana, Brazil, to copper as well as to a mixture of copper with mancozeb. The highest copper concentration where Xac grew was 50 µg/mL. However, 45.5 % of the bacterial strains from orchards with regular sprays of copper compounds grew in the presence of 50 µg/mL of copper. In contrast, only 13.4 % of the strains from citrus orchards that never received copper sprays grew in such a copper concentration . Mixing mancozeb with copper increased the tolerance of Xac to copper. Therefore, the recommendation of mancozeb mixed with copper for control of the citrus canker bacterium should be reviewed.
citrus canker; copper resistance; ethylenebisdithiocarbamate
