Fire blight is caused by which type of organism?

Fire blight is caused by which type of organism?

• A. Fungal
• B. Bacterial
• C. Viral
• D. Insect

Answer: (B)

Fire blight is a bacterial disease caused by Erwinia amylovora. Bacteria are single‑celled organisms that invade plant tissues and reproduce rapidly, often entering through blossoms or wounds. In infected trees you’ll see the characteristic scorched or burned-looking shoots and branches, sometimes with a sticky ooze at the lesions. The disease can spread quickly via rain splash, insects, and contaminated pruning tools, which is why sanitation and careful pruning are essential for management. This isn’t caused by a fungus, which would show different growth patterns and symptoms, nor by a virus, which tends to produce leaf mosaics or other disfiguring symptoms and requires living plant cells to replicate in different ways. Insects can spread pathogens, but they are not the disease-causing organism here; the culprit is the bacterium.

Fire blight is a bacterial disease caused by Erwinia amylovora. Bacteria are single‑celled organisms that invade plant tissues and reproduce rapidly, often entering through blossoms or wounds. In infected trees you’ll see the characteristic scorched or burned-looking shoots and branches, sometimes with a sticky ooze at the lesions. The disease can spread quickly via rain splash, insects, and contaminated pruning tools, which is why sanitation and careful pruning are essential for management.

This isn’t caused by a fungus, which would show different growth patterns and symptoms, nor by a virus, which tends to produce leaf mosaics or other disfiguring symptoms and requires living plant cells to replicate in different ways. Insects can spread pathogens, but they are not the disease-causing organism here; the culprit is the bacterium.