8/14/2015

BacterialSeedandBollRot:ANewEmergingThreattoCottoninPakistan|AgriHunt

Bacterial Seed and Boll Rot: A New Emerging Threat to Cotton in

Pakistan

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InhotsummerofJuly2011,cottonbollsweresampledfromthecottoncropinresearchareaofPlantPathology,UniversityofAgriculture,
Faisalabad.whichlookapparentlyhealthyandfullsized.Bollswerelookinggoodandasymptomaticoutside.Insidestorywasmuchdifferentbecause
whenbollswereopenedtransversely,seedrotteningwithdiscoloredlint(Fig.1)wasseen.Fiberlookedimmatureandhardlocked.Diseasedbollswere
compactandfailedtoopenproperly.Inearlystages,bollsremainedasymptomatic.Darkpinkspotsappearedontheouterbollsurfacelaterly.Rotted
seedsexhibithollowanddarkdiscoloration(Fig.2).
Asbollremainscompactanddoesnotopenproperly,pickerscantpulloutcottoneasily.Iflintispulledoutandmixedwithnormal,itlowers
thecottonqualityandearning.
Faisalabad and its nearby cotton fields (University of Agriculture, Faisalabad Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Faisalabad and Prokka
village)werevisitedanddiseasedsampleswereobserved.ProblemwasseenregardlesstogermplasmgrowneitherBtorconventional.
Problemwasaddressedinanumberofways.Isolationprocesswasdonetoidentifythesuspectedpathogenbyusingdilutionplatetechnique.
Creamy whitish bacterial colonies appeared and were purified. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on Bt121 and FH114 grown in green house
conditions. At bolls maturity stage, 20L bacterial suspension was injected breaching the endocarp of boll wall. In control, only sterile water was
injected.Treatedbollswereharvestedafter15daysoftreatmentandopenedcrosssectionally.Extensiveseedrotteningandlintdiscolorationwasseen
inbacterialtreatedbolls(Fig.3).
Consideringstinkbugsasapossiblediseasevector,trialswereconductedonredcottonbug(Dysdercuscingulatus).Diseasedbollsweretaken
andbugs(takenfromfield)werefedfor2days.Aftertwodaysofacquisitionfeedingperiods,bugswereshiftedonhealthybolls(takenfromgreen
housegrownplants).Bugswerekilledbyinsecticides(Acetameprid@0.125%)andbollswereincubatedat25Cfor15days.Bollswereopenedand
diseasedsymptomswereobserved(Fig.4).
Further studies (disease epidemiology, impact of boll age on disease severity, plant age effect on disease severity, role of foliar nitrogen
application on disease severity and invitroandin vivo management of disease through antibiotics, plant extracts and homeopathic products) were
madeandwillbepublishedsoon.

Fig.1:Effectedbollswithseedandbollrotdiseaseshowingdiscoloredlint.

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Fig.2:RottedSeed

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8/14/2015

BacterialSeedandBollRot:ANewEmergingThreattoCottoninPakistan|AgriHunt
20 Organizations Advocating for

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Antibiotics in Agriculture

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Fig.3:Seedrotteningandlintdiscolorationresultsafterpathogensitytest.

Fig.4:Diseasedsymptomsobservedafterfeedingofredcottonbug.

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