Chlorotic streak transmission and crop dynamics research

Abstract

CHLOROTIC STREAK DISEASE (CSD) is transmitted in water, specifically drainage, flood or irrigation water. Research showed that transmission in water was increased by the addition of oxytetracyline (Terramycin). A two-hour inoculation period, where roots were dipped in infected hydroponic solution containing the antibiotic, was sufficient to lead to significant disease levels in test plants grown in a hydroponic system. A hydroponic system incorporating no water circulation (still-hydroponics) was found more effective than one where the solution was regularly circulated. Monitoring of the disease at field sites showed that disease levels build up over time and that different lengths of inundation associated with flooding events may lead to uneven distribution of the disease in a commercial crop.