VIEW ARTICLE

Rapid Screening for Bacterial Wilt Resistance in Alfalfa with a Phytotoxic Glycopeptide from Corynebacterium insidiosum. Charles S. Straley, Department of Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman 59715; Mary L. Straley(2), and Gary A. Strobel(3). (2)(3)Department of Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman 59715. Phytopathology 64:194-196. Accepted for publication 6 August 1973. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-64-194.

A rapid bioassay for bacterial wilt resistance in alfalfa was developed using the phytotoxic glycopeptide from Corynebacterium insidiosum. The test involved the placement of young stem cuttings (12 cm long) in a 0.05% solution of the toxin at 18 C. The degree of wilting 6 h after exposure to the toxin was measured by percentage wt loss of water. There was a significant correlation between wilt symptom production in the bioassay and the development of root discoloration in 18 clones of alfalfa inoculated with the pathogen.