Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. insidiosus in lucerne seeds |
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| Authors: | J NÉMETH E LASZLO L EMÖDY |
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| Institution: | Bacteriological Laboratory, Plant Health and Soil Conservation Station, P.O. Box 13, Pécs 7615 (Hungary);Institute of Microbiology, University Medical School, Pécs 7643 (Hungary) |
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| Abstract: | Bacterial wilt is a serious disease of Iucerne. Although there are several ways to transmit the pathogen, seed transmission is practically the only way to introduce the bacteria to previously free areas. In this work, naturally infected seed material and commercial seed lots have been screened by a combination of immunofluorescence (IF) staining and dilution plating. Isolates were confirmed by biochemical characterization and finally by artificial infection of lucerne seedlings. For seed lots free from the pathogen, a diagnosis can mostly be achieved within 2 days. The culture step is necessary only if IF staining is not unequivocally negative, and the full procedure has to be run only for a small portion of the samples. The proposed seed assay provides a reliable alternative to the visual inspection of lucerne fields to fulfil the phytosanitary requirements for Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. insidiosus. |
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