Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research
Project Number: 8044-22000-048-049-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2026
End Date: Jul 31, 2027
Objective:
Develop relevant culture collection for Ralstonia solanacearum (Rsol) detection on ornamentals; characterize isolates as needed and transfer copies to ARS/Fort Detrick as backup. Test germplasm and develop reproducible Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the propagation of Rsol in relevant rose and geranium hosts.
Approach:
Create comprehensive working collection of Rsol isolates from existing collections and imports from Europe, including recent Netherlands rose outbreak. Grow out isolates to confirm viability, pathogenicity, and purity; cryopreserve for long-term storage. Create database to track isolate source and new characterization.
Develop reproducible inoculation method to propagate Rsol in cultivars of rose and geranium relevant to global trade. Test ability of current nucleic acid and antibody-based assays to detect Rsol in rose and geranium.