Bacterial wilt is caused by a soil-borne bacterium named Ralstonia Solanacearum (formerly Pseudomonas Solanacearum). Potato wilt bacterium mainly inhabits the roots and enters the root system at points of injury caused by farm tools or equipment and soil pests. It is also known as brown rot, southern wilt, sore eye, or jammy eye on potatoes. This is a serious problem in many developing countries in the tropical and subtropical zones of the world.
The economic impact of bacterial wilt
Bacterial wilt is one of the most destructive diseases of the potato. It’s responsible for causing considerable losses to the potato industry where the disease exists. The disease can cause total loss of a crop and prevent the use of land for potato production for several years.
Environmental conditions favoring bacterial wilt.
The bacterial wilt of potatoes is generally favored by temperatures between 25°C and 37°C. It usually doesn’t cause problems in areas where the mean soil temperature is below 15°C. Under conditions of optimum temperature, infection is favored by the wetness of the soil. Once infection has occurred, symptoms will often be more severe with hot and dry conditions, which hastens wilting.
Symptoms of bacterial wilt
The following symptoms can indicate bacterial wilt on the plant:
- wilting
- yellowing
- some stunting of the plants
- die-back of plants.