Pacific Pests, Pathogens & Weeds - Mini Fact Sheet Edition

https://apps.lucidcentral.org/ppp/

Tomato bacterial wilt (146)

Search

Photo 1. Capsicum with bacterial wilt, Ralstonia solanacearum, showing wilt, leaf fall and dieback, rather than a sudden wilt.

Photo 2. Tomato with bacterial wilt, Ralstonia solanacearum, showing sudden wilt of leaves over entire plant.

Photo 3. Potato with bacterial wilt, Ralstonia solanacearum, showing sudden wilt of leaves.

Photo 4. Eggplant with bacterial wilt, Ralstonia solanacearum, showing sudden wilt of the leaves.

Photo 5. Cut end of tomato stem placed in water to show bacterial streaming of Ralstonia solanacearum.

Summary

• Wordlwide distribution. In tropics and sub-tropics. On more than 200 hosts in more than 30 plant families. Several races. Race 1 infects eggplant, capsicum, chilli, potato, tomato and tobacco, and other families. An important disease.
• High temperature and rain favours disease. Bacteria block the water-conducting tubes causing a wilt.
• Place cut stem in water to see “streaming”.
• Cultural control: avoid infested land; use 4-year rotation, with maize, soybean, brassicas, rice; plant on ridges/raised beds to improve drainage; remove wilted plants immediately; remove soil from shoes, machinery, and tools; graft tomato onto relatively bacterial wilt-resistant eggplant; use resistant varieties.
• Chemical control: none recommended.

Common Name

Bacterial wilt, bacterial wilt of potato, bacterial wilt of Solanaceous crops

Scientific Name

Ralstonia solanacearum. There are a number of races.

This mini fact sheet is a part of the app Pacific Pests, Pathogens & Weeds

The mobile application is available from the Google Play Store and Apple iTunes.