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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #263834
Title: Detection of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosus in alfalfa

Author
item Samac, Deborah - Debby
item OPHEL-KELLER, KATHY - South Australian Research And Development Institute
item CAFFIER, DAVID - Ministry Of Agriculture, Food & Fisheries

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/30/2012
Publication Date: 2/1/2017
Citation: Samac, D.A., Ophel-Keller, K., Caffier, D. 2017. Detection of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosus in alfalfa. In: Fatmi, M., Walcott, R.R. Schaad, N.W., editors. Detection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria in Seed and Other Planting Material. St. Paul, MN: APS Press. p. 103-107.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Bacterial wilt of alfalfa (lucerne, Medicago sativa) occurs in most alfalfa-growing areas of the world. The disease was recognized early as a major limiting factor in alfalfa production and was the focus of the first disease resistance breeding in alfalfa. The bacterium can infect seeds at a low frequency making it a concern for phytosanitary certification in exported seed lots. Diagnosis of the disease in the field is difficult because symptoms may not be apparent and can be confused with those of other diseases or with herbicide damage. This chapter describes the symptoms of the disease and methods used to isolate the pathogen from plants and seed. Assays to identify the pathogen that are described include immunoflourescence, host inoculation, conventional PCR assays, and quantitative real-time PCR assays.