Articles
BACTERIOPHAGE: A VIABLE BACTERIA CONTROL SOLUTION
Article number
695_12
Pages
109 – 118
Language
English
Abstract
An increasing number of bacterial plant pathogens have been reported to be tolerant or resistant to bactericides in present-day use.
Bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) were evaluated as alternative control agents using bacterial wilt and bacterial spot of tomato as test systems.
It was found that 92% of three-week old tomato plants pretreated 4 hours (h), 1 day (d), 3 and 5 d with bacteriophages (phages) before inoculating with Ralstonia solanacearum remained healthy, whereas 95% of untreated plants had some manifestation of disease.
Similarly, 91% of three-week old tomato plants given phage specific for Xanthomonas perforans 4 h and 1 d before exposure to the pathogen had less than 12% defoliation.
In contrast, 80% of untreated plants displayed more than 12% disease severity.
Although all plants were pretreated with phage by pouring 50 ml around the base of plants, after 11 d phage was isolated from all terminal leaflets from a phage-treated bacterial spot infected plant.
Higher numbers of phage were obtained from the youngest leaflet as well as from a blossom on the 21st d.
Plants treated with phage both in the greenhouse and field demonstrated less spread and incidence of bacterial spot than those given water or copper.
Bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) were evaluated as alternative control agents using bacterial wilt and bacterial spot of tomato as test systems.
It was found that 92% of three-week old tomato plants pretreated 4 hours (h), 1 day (d), 3 and 5 d with bacteriophages (phages) before inoculating with Ralstonia solanacearum remained healthy, whereas 95% of untreated plants had some manifestation of disease.
Similarly, 91% of three-week old tomato plants given phage specific for Xanthomonas perforans 4 h and 1 d before exposure to the pathogen had less than 12% defoliation.
In contrast, 80% of untreated plants displayed more than 12% disease severity.
Although all plants were pretreated with phage by pouring 50 ml around the base of plants, after 11 d phage was isolated from all terminal leaflets from a phage-treated bacterial spot infected plant.
Higher numbers of phage were obtained from the youngest leaflet as well as from a blossom on the 21st d.
Plants treated with phage both in the greenhouse and field demonstrated less spread and incidence of bacterial spot than those given water or copper.
Publication
Authors
L.E. Jackson, J.B. Jones
Keywords
phage, AgriPhage, OmniLytics, virus, control, bacterial, plant, disease, tomato, wilt, spot, defoliation, copper, resistance
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