Bacterial Diseases in Plants

Bacterial Diseases in Plants - Control & Prevention
Just like people contracting bacterial disease (strep throat, TB, salmonella poisoning), plants
can also be effected by bacterial disease. Bacterial diseases in plants may affect stems,
leaves or roots or be carried internally. Generally, they belong to the genera Erwinia,
Pectobacterium,
Pantoea,
Acidovorax, Xanthomonas,
Agrobacterium,
Pseudomonas,
Clavibacter, Streptomyces,
Ralstonia,
Burkholderia,
Xyllella, Spiroplasma,
and
Phytoplasma. A bacterial disease may cause a variety of symptoms: blights, cankers, galls,
leaf spots, overgrowths, specks, scabs, or wilts. Generally, the common name of the disease
is a combination of the symptom or appearance and its location on the plant, like Bacterial
Leaf Spot caused by Pseudomonas cichorii and fireblight in pears and apples, caused by Erwinia amylovora. In
contrast to viruses that live inside plant cells, bacteria grow in the spaces between cells, producing toxins,
special proteins or enzymes that damage the plant cells. Agrobacterium causes cells to genetically modify,
producing cancer-like growths called galls.Bacterial diseases are spread in many ways rain, wind, birds or
insects. People can also spread bacterial diseases by using infected pruning tools, by improper disposal of
infected plant material, improperly managing plants in the winter, or introducing infected plants in an area.
Bacteria require a wound or natural opening like stomata to get inside a plant to cause damage. Once inside,
they kill host cells. Bacteria are hardy if when spread, they find no ready host, they can go dormant until a
suitable host is found.
Control of Bacterial Disease:Bacterial diseases are difficult to control; usually it is better to prevent the
spread rather than cure a plant. Of course, in agricultural applications it is sometimes necessary to both prevent
and treat on a large-scale basis.Choose plants that are resistant; use disease-free seed or plants.
Disinfect pruning tools. Botani-Wipes are handy for this.
Plan crop rotations to eliminate over-wintering.
Prevent surface wounds on plants.
Expose plant material you wish to compost to dry air, heat and sunlight to kill any disease-causing
bacteria.
After treating with any substance that kills bacteria, always replace them with good bacteria such as
those in EM-1 or Compost Tea otherwise any leftover disease causing bacteria will take over again!
Control insects that might vector bacterial diseases.
Water correctly; avoid wetting leaves on indoor plants. Misting may cause bacterial growth on leaves.
Give plants plenty of room, whether in a pot or in the ground.
Pay attention to indoor plant care in the winter because of lower light intensity.
Isolate the diseased plant if possible and prune infected leaves. Do not prune more than 1/3 of the leaves
of a plant.
If the disease is systemic, affecting the stem as well as leaves, the plant cannot recover. Destroy it to
prevent the spread of the disease to other plants.
Make sure the soil is healthy with plenty of organic nutrients and beneficial microorganisms.
Plant disease epidemiology is the study of disease in plant populations. Much like diseases
of humans and other animals, plant diseases occur due to pathogens such as bacteria, viruses,
fungi, oomycetes, nematodes, phytoplasmas, protozoa, and parasitic plants.[1] Plant disease
epidemiologists strive for an understanding of the cause and effects of disease and develop
strategies to intervene in situations where crop losses may occur. Typically successful
intervention will lead to a low enough level of disease to be acceptable, depending upon the
value of the crop.
Plant disease epidemiology is often looked at from a multi-disciplinary approach, requiring
biological, statistical, agronomic and ecological perspectives. Biology is necessary for
understanding the pathogen and its life cycle. It is also necessary for understanding the
physiology of the crop and how the pathogen is adversely affecting it. Agronomic practices often
influence disease incidence for better or for worse. Ecological influences are numerous. Native
species of plants may serve as reservoirs for pathogens that cause disease in crops. Statistical
models are often applied in order to summarize and describe the complexity of plant disease
epidemiology, so that disease processes can be more readily understood.[2][3] For example,
comparisons between patterns of disease progress for different diseases, cultivars, management
strategies, or environmental settings can help in determining how plant diseases may best be
managed. Policy can be influential in the occurrence of diseases, through actions such as
restrictions on imports from sources where a disease occurs.
In 1963 J. E. van der Plank published "Plant Diseases: Epidemics and Control", a seminal work
that created a theoretical framework for the study of the epidemiology of plant diseases.[4] This
book provides a theoretical framework based on experiments in many different host pathogen
systems and moved the study of plant disease epidemiology forward rapidly, especially for
fungal foliar pathogens. Using this framework we can now model and determine thresholds for
epidemics that take place in a homogeneous environment such as a mono-cultural crop field.[4]

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Bacterial Diseases in Plants - Control & Prevention

Disinfect pruning tools. Botani-Wipes are handy for this.

Plan crop rotations to eliminate over-wintering.

Prevent surface wounds on plants.

Control insects that might vector bacterial diseases.

Give plants plenty of room, whether in a pot or in the ground.

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