| Abstrakt: |
Ralstonia solanacearum(Rs) race 4 causes bacterial wilt of edible ginger (Zingiber officinale) and limits crop production in the tropics. The use of bioindicator plants was investigated as a method for determining whether or not a field is contaminated with Rsrace 4 before replanting with a susceptible crop. Tissue-cultured edible ginger (TCG), micro-sized red ginger (Alpinia purpurata; RG) and micro-sized spiral ginger (Costus barbatus; SG) were evaluated for suitability for detection of Rsrace 4. Candidate hosts were planted into the infested medium, and Rspopulations in plant tissues, potting medium and drainage water were evaluated by viable plate counts and Immunostrips using a species-specific monoclonal antibody. TCG wilted completely within an average of 9 days at the highest (log 8cfu/mL) level of inoculum, and within 19 days at the lowest (log 4cfu/mL) inoculum level. RG wilted in 17–26 and SG in 29–39 days. The final populations of Rsrace 4 in wilted TCG tissues, potting medium and drainage water were between log 8.8–9.3cfu/g, log 7.0–7.4cfu/g and log 4.8–5.0cfu/mL, respectively, regardless of the initial population levels. RG and SG did not enhance Rspopulation levels as well as TCG. On average, the bioindicator hosts increased the Rspopulations by 100 to 1000-fold, thereby enabling detection with a simple immunodiagnostic test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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