How to Identify Ginger Bacterial Wilt? Detailed Explanation of Prevention and Control Methods

Ginger bacterial wilt, also known as ginger rot or ginger bacterial blight, is the most serious disease in ginger production. It causes damage from the ginger seedling stage through the ginger rhizome harvest period as well as during storage, and it has a wide host range.

The pathogen of ginger bacterial wilt belongs to the bacterium Pseudomonas solanacearum. The primary infection comes from diseased ginger seed or bacteria-carrying soil, and the pathogens from other diseased hosts such as peanut bacterial wilt and tomato bacterial wilt can also be transmitted to ginger.

The ginger bacterial wilt pathogen invades through wounds on ginger roots and tubers (mainly insect-bored wounds). The affected roots first appear water-soaked and light brown, and the pathogen moves along the vascular bundles into the ginger rhizome. The affected ginger rhizome also initially appears light brown and water-soaked, and at this stage the rhizome is still firm. As the disease develops, the ginger rhizome gradually turns from light brown to brown and then dark brown. The aboveground leaves first curl, wilt and turn blight-green, and finally, due to the invasion of other miscellaneous bacteria, the ginger flesh rots and becomes foul-smelling, leaving only the ginger skin, while the aboveground leaves change from blight-green to yellow-withered.

From June to August each year, the hot and rainy season is the peak period for disease occurrence in the field.

Prevention and control methods:

1. Select disease-resistant varieties: Chicken-claw ginger is disease-resistant; large-fleshed ginger and Lou ginger are susceptible.

2. Sun-dry the ginger seed for two days before sowing, and remove diseased ginger rhizomes that become soft after sun-drying and exude a milky white cloudy liquid.

3. Seed soaking: After sun-drying the ginger seed and removing diseased ginger seed, soak the seed in clean water or warm water for two days so that the ginger seed absorbs enough water, then drain it.

4. Ginger seed disinfection: (1) Soak the ginger rhizomes in Qingkuting for 2 minutes before sowing, and cover with soil promptly. (2) Soak the seed for 20 minutes in a 300-fold dilution of 3% Kejunkang or an 800-fold dilution of agricultural streptomycin.

5. Crop rotation: The best is paddy-upland rotation or rotation with scallion or garlic fields. If rotating with other crops, about 4 years is required.

6. Field management: (1) Deep plow and turn the soil and expose it to the sun over winter, and apply 2000 kg of organic fertilizer per mu; (2) Plant on high ridges with deep furrows; (3) Separate drainage and irrigation, and strictly prohibit water accumulation in ditches; (4) Adjust soil acidity, and spread 100 kg of lime powder per mu before planting ginger; (5) Maintain good field sanitation. Do not pull out and toss away diseased plants in the field at will; they should be collected, sun-dried and burned or deeply buried.

7. Chemical control: (1) If the ginger field was sown after soaking the seed in Qingkuting, continue to drench the roots with Qingkuting in April, May, June, July and August respectively, so that the biocontrol bacteria in Qingkuting become the dominant population on ginger roots and protect the ginger roots from infection by the bacterial wilt pathogen. (2) For ginger fields where Qingkuting has not been used, drench the roots in April, May, June, July and August respectively with a 500-800-fold dilution of 3% Kejunkang, a 1000-fold dilution of Jiashoumi, an 800-fold dilution of agricultural streptomycin, or a 1000-fold dilution of 86.2% Tongdashi.