Stalk and Leaf Necrosis of Onion Caused by Erwinia herbicola. M. J. Hattingh, Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa. D. F. Walters, Senior Technical Officer, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa. Plant Dis. 65:615-618. Copyright 1981 American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-65-615.

A new foliar disease of onion (Allium cepa) in the Cape Province of South Africa was characterized by rapid necrosis of seed stalks and leaves. A bacterium isolated from diseased stalks was identified as Erwinia herbicola. Characteristic symptoms of the disease developed within 3–10 days when the organism was inoculated by needle injection into healthy flower stalks. The bacterium was isolated from artificially inoculated plants. This is the first record of E. herbicola as a pathogen of onion.