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Control of bacterial wilt is generally very
difficult. Both crop rotation to nonhosts and planting of resistant
cultivars are useful methods to avoid the disease. |
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A simple seedling screening method can be
used to evaluate plant resistance to bacterial wilt. Grow tomato
seedlings in individual 3-inch pots. Pour 30 ml of suspension
of the pathogen (108 cell/ml) on the soil surface of each pot.
Record percent wilting four weeks after inoculation. Results
of this method are highly correlated with field response. |
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A method to prepare a disease nursery in the
field has been developed. Grow susceptible plants first and inoculate
the plants by spraying the pathogen after clipping the leaves.
Plow in the wilted plants and rebuild the bed. Transplant tested
materials and record percent wilting. |
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Another method of utilizing host resistance
is to graft susceptible cultivars onto resistant tomato or eggplant
rootstocks. The resistant rootstock can limit the growth and
movement of the pathogen, thus suppress the disease development
in the scion part. Details on grafting procedure can be obtained
from AVRDC. |
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It is important to apply other cultural practices
together with planting resistant lines. Methods such as rotation
with non-host crops and addition of certain soil amendments,
such as urea and calcium oxide, are known to lower the pathogen
population in the soil. However, the efficacy may depend on the
soil properties. |
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