ABSTRACT
An important aspect of learning to control microbial degradation of produce requires understanding the degradation microorganisms. Recent advancements in bacterial genome sequencing have created unprecedented amounts of genetic information. Analysis of genome data offers a new perspective on microbial research and has enhanced our understanding of produce degradation. In the genomic era, additional genes with broader functions are expected to be discovered at a faster pace. Genome study affects not only on the study of genes, but also other areas such bacterial evolution, ecology, and systematics. From a population point of view, genomics expands our understanding of model bacterial strains and helps in the exploration of bacterial strains in all ecological niches. Soft rot erwinia are a group of bacterial pathogens that cause both pre-and postharvest rot in a broad range of fresh produce. The molecular biology research on soft rot erwinia in the past two decades has led to significant discoveries of genes and mechanisms of pathogenicity (Collmer and Keen,1986; Kotoujansky, 1987; Hugouvieux-Cotte-Pattat et al., 1996; Toth et al.,
2003). In this chapter, advances in the population genomics of soft rot erwinia are used to demonstrate the importance of genome analysis in the understanding and control of produce degradation.
