Symptom Suppression with Oxytetracycline of a Toronto Creeping Bentgrass Disease of Presumed Bacterial Etiology. D. L. Roberts, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and Pesticide Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824.. J. M. Vargas, Jr., Associate Professor, R. Detweiler, Research Technician, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and Pesticide Research Center, and K. K. Baker, Assistant Professor, Center for Electron Optics, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824. Plant Dis. 66:804-806. Accepted for publication 4 December 1981. Copyright 1982 American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-66-804.

Symptom suppression of a Toronto creeping bentgrass disease of unknown etiology was achieved with 1.0 and 1.5 g/L solutions of oxytetracycline applied as drench treatments at the rate of 2 L/m². Streptomycin sulfate and cupric hydroxide did not reduce disease development. Scanning electron micrographs revealed many bacteria in the xylem of untreated plants and of those treated with streptomycin sulfate and cupric hydroxide, whereas no bacteria were found in oxytetracycline-treated plants. This evidence supports our previous findings that a bacterium is the presumable incitant of this disease of Toronto creeping bentgrass.

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