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Bacterial Wilt

Plant Health Clinic Disease Note Issue 17

By Sherrie Smith and Jason Pavel

Tomato stem cut open, displaying bacterial wilt symptomology including brown discoloration
Bacterial Wilt- Ralstonia solanacearum. Photo by Sherrie Smith
Tomato plant showing bacterial wilt symptomology, including drooping leaves and slight discoloration
Bacterial Wilt- Ralstonia solanacearum. Photo by Sherrie Smith

Bacterial Wilt in Tomato

It is tomato season, and the Plant Health Clinic is seeing tomatoes with bacterial wilt. This pathogen also attacks pepper, potato, eggplant, and many ornamentals. The symptoms of Bacterial Wilt, caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, are wilting of younger leaves, followed by a rapid wilting of the entire plant. There will be a dark discoloration and soft rot of the pith.

Testing for Bacterial Wilt

This bacterial disease is easily distinguishable from other bacterial and fungal wilts. A simple lab test method is diagnostic. Cut the stem and suspend in a glass of water. In 3-5 minutes, milky exudate will begin streaming from the cut end. If the infection is severe, the water becomes milky in 10-15 minutes. The best defense against this bacterial wilt disease is the use of resistant cultivars and crop rotation.

Tomato stem infected with bacterial wilt suspended in water. Stem is producing white, milky exudate.
Bacterial Wilt- Ralstonia solanacearum. Photo by Sherrie Smith

Take Aways:

  • Practice crop rotation.
  • Clean up all crop debris. 
  • Plant resistant cultivars. 

This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program [grant no. 2017-70006 27279/project accession no. 1013890] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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