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Title: Bacillus seed and boll rot of cotton: Symptoms and transmission by Hemiptera

Author
item Bell, Alois - Al
item Medrano, Enrique
item Lopez, Juan De Dios

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2008
Publication Date: 6/1/2008
Citation: Bell, A.A., Medrano, E.G., Lopez, J. 2008. Bacillus seed and boll rot of cotton: Symptoms and transmission by Hemiptera [abstract]. Proceedings of American Phytopathological Society Centennial Meetings, Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 25-30, 2008. Phytopathology. 98(6S):521. 2008.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Bolls affected by seed rot and internal boll rot were sampled from various geographical areas over three years and examined for organisms capable of causing disease. After Pantoea species and Nematospora coryli, Bacillus species were one of the microorganisms often associated with seed and boll rot. The most common and virulent species was Bacillus pumilus followed by select isolates of Bacillus subtilus. Stink bugs collected by hand or caught in light or pheromone traps were caged over 14-day-old bolls in the greenhouse and bolls were examined and tested for the presence of pathogenic Bacillus species. Many stink bugs carried and inoculated cotton bolls with infectious Bacillus isolates. Various Bacillus species and isolates that have been used as biological control agents also caused seed and boll rot when puncture inoculated into bolls. These, however, were genetically distinct from most wild isolates. The ramifications of these finds will be discussed.