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Etiology

The Morphology of a Corynebacterium sp. Parasitic on Annual Rye Grass. Alan F. Bird, (CSIRO) Division of Horticultural Research, G.P.O. Box 350, Adelaide, South Australia 5001; B. A. Stynes, Department of Agriculture, Jarrah Road, South Perth, Western Australia 6151. Phytopathology 67:828-830. Accepted for publication 31 January 1977. Copyright © 1977 The American Phytopathological Society, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121. All rights reserved.. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-67-828.

The Corynebacterium species, which parasitizes Lolium rigidum, is surrounded by a capsule approximately 0.2 μm thick that has specific adhesive properties enabling the bacterium to stick to the cuticle of its mechanical vector, the second-stage larva of the nematode Anguina lolii. The bacterium swells upon hydration. Exclusive of its capsule the anhydrobiotic organism is about two-thirds of the diameter of the hydrated organism. However, the overall size of the capsulated bacterium remains constant because the capsule is thinner in the hydrated form.