Microbial ecology of the geranium phyllosphere and its role in suppression of bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas hortorum pv. pelargonii

This project focuses on the characterization of the geranium phyllosphere with the goal of identifying bacterial isolates capable of suppressing Xanthomonas hortorum pv. pelargonii, the causal agent of bacterial blight in geraniums. The study analyzes microbial diversity and community structure within the phyllosphere using a combination of culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches.