STUDIES ON SURVIVAL OF Dickeya zeae CAUSING AGENT OF BACTERIAL STALK ROT DISEASE OF MAIZE

ADESH KUMAR¹*, MANDEEP SINGH HUNJAN², HARLEEN KAUR³, ROOMI RAWAL⁴, P.P. SINGH^5
1Department of Plant Pathology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004, Punjab, India
²Department of Plant Pathology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004, Punjab, India
³Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004, Punjab, India
⁴C.C.S. Haryana Agriculture University, Hisar, Haryana, India
⁵Department of Plant Pathology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141 004, Punjab, India
* Corresponding Author : adeshfrs@gmail.com

Received : 31-05-2016     Accepted : 04-02-2017     Published : 18-02-2017
Volume : 9     Issue : 8       Pages : 3913 - 3916
Int J Agr Sci 9.8 (2017):3913-3916

Keywords : D. zeae, Host Debris, Soil, Pathogen and survival
Academic Editor : El-sherbeny Ghada Abd Allah
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : None declared
Author Contribution : None declared

Dickeya zeae strain M-7, isolated from maize plant at Maize Section, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana and tested for survival of this pathogen. Highest survival of the pathogen (270 days) was found in both type of soils field and sterilized soil (autoclaved soil)when mixed with host (maize) debris, under screen house condition with varies log cfu/gram soil. However, highest log cfu/gram soil was found in sterilized soil. The pathogen could not survive for long time in soil if broth culture of pathogen mixed instead of host debris. The pathogen survived for 180 days in sterilized soil and 150 days in field soil when soil was mixed with broth culture. The period of survival was correlated with increase in moisture and was maximum at 90%. The pathogen showed highest log cfu/ml to the tune of 10.90 under in vitro condition at 30 oC. However, bacterium could not produce any colony at 5, 10, 15 oC. The store viability of D. zeae was 36 months (3 years) in silica gel, while virulence of the pathogen exists only one maize crop season