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Ratoon Stunting Disease of Sugarcane: Possible Correlation of Resistance with Vascular Anatomy. D. S. Teakle, Senior Lecturer, Department of Microbiology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4067; Paula M. Smith(2), and D. R. L. Steindl(3). (2)Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Microbiology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4067; (3)Senior Pathologist, Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations Pathology Farm, 362 Warrigal Rd., Eight Mile Plains, Queensland 4123, Australia. Phytopathology 65:138-141. Accepted for publication 23 July 1974. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-65-138.

When water was sucked through single-node cuttings of sugarcane, the average flow rates were 1.4 ml/minute for a clone “immune” to ratoon stunting disease (RSD), 2.6-8.4 ml/minute for three “tolerant” clones and 13.0 - 19.6 ml/minute for six “susceptible” clones. A “field resistant” clone had a flow rate of 19.1 ml/min, similar to that of the “susceptible” clones. When india ink was sucked for a period of 30 seconds into double-node cuttings of sugarcane, the average number of ink-discolored vascular bundles in the third (distal) internode was one for the “immune” clone, 2-29 for the three “tolerant” clones, and 36-41 for the two “susceptible” clones and the one “field resistant” clone. It is concluded that vascular anatomy, possibly in the form of a low number of large, continuous vessels passing through the nodes, may be a factor in the RSD resistance of the “immune” and “tolerant” clones, but possibly not the “field resistant” clone.