Identification of Halo Blight Disease on Oat in Idaho and Exploration of Resistant Sources in Oat, Barley, and Wheat

Pseudomonas coronafaciens pv. coronafaciens (Pcc), the causal agent of bacterial halo blight (BHB) on oat, has been infrequently reported in the United States, with historical records limited to the 1920s through the 1960s. In 2023, oat trial fields in Aberdeen, ID, were severely infected with an unknown disease that formed necrotic lesions on leaves. Preliminary identification based on colony morphology suggested a pathogen belonging to the genus Pseudomonas. Subsequent PCR amplified a 298-bp fragment that is diagnostic to Pcc. Further analysis using whole-genome sequencing confirmed 99.6% average nucleotide identity (ANI) with Pcc. This marks the first detection of Pcc in Idaho and the first detailed description of the pathogen in the United States after over half a century. Host range and pathogenicity assessments on multiple cereal crops showed that Pcc was pathogenic on oat, barley, and corn. However, wheat, rye, and triticale displayed chlorosis and early cell death in response to the pathogen. Evaluation of oat and barley genotypes revealed resistance in the two crop species to be rare, with only 2.5 and 4.5% of oat and barley genotypes exhibiting some level of resistance. Notably, the four resistant and moderately resistant barley genotypes identified in this study, DH170472, Celebration, Legacy, and Quest, are the first to be reported as sources of resistance to BHB. Results of the present study provide a basis for further research toward a better understanding of disease epidemiology, the genetics of host–pathogen interaction, and the management of BHB on oat, barley, and corn. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .