Tomato's deadly bacterial wilt can be prevented and controlled: Kaohsiung Agricultural Improvement Station develops biological materials

Growers who cultivate tomatoes fear bacterial wilt above all else. Neither pesticides nor grafted seedlings can fully eliminate this bacterial disease. Once a crop contracts bacterial wilt, it is like being diagnosed with a terminal illness, causing heavy losses for growers. Recently, the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station under the Council of Agriculture identified a microorganism that can effectively control bacterial wilt, and has completed the technology for mass-producing the bacterial strain. Technology transfer bidding is currently underway, and once the winning manufacturer is confirmed in mid-July, the product could hit the market as early as next year.

Bacterial Wilt: The Terminal Illness of Solanaceous Plants

High temperatures, moisture and oxygen-deprived deep soil layers are the favorite environment of the bacterial wilt pathogen. The pathogen that causes bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) measures about two microns, or 0.0002 cm. This bacterium can survive in soil for two to three years, and once it gets the chance, it moves upward, invading the plant from the roots and causing vascular wilt disease in crops.

More than two hundred crops can potentially fall victim, with solanaceous crops such as tomatoes, eggplants and bell peppers being the pathogen's favorites. When the bacterial wilt pathogen invades a crop, it clogs the vascular bundles, preventing water from being transported through the plant. So even though the crop still looks green on the outside, it is withering away step by step inside, which is why it is called bacterial wilt.

Currently, no chemical pesticide can effectively control bacterial wilt. So once solanaceous crops such as tomatoes contract bacterial wilt, it is like being diagnosed with a terminal illness, and growers can only hope to carry out preventive measures next time.