Aug. i6, I9IS Nasturtium Wilt 457 



SUMMARY 



The nasturtium is subject to a bacterial wilt disease, observed for the 

 first time in the summer of 1914, which prevents blossoming, stunts the 

 plants, and finally kills them. It is caused by a bacterium that in all 

 morphological, cultural, and infectious characters agrees with Bacterium 

 solanacearum Erw. Sm. 



Cross-inoculations on the tomato and tobacco produced successful and 

 typical wilt of, these plants, while inoculations on the nasturtium with a 

 virulent strain of B. solanacearum, isolated from tobacco, gave typical 

 nasturtium wilt. 



Infection takes place from infected soil through broken roots, but 

 stomatal infection has also been demonstrated. 



Cultivated ageratums and verbenas were found susceptible to infection 

 with both the nasturtium and the Creedmore (N. C.) tobacco strains of 

 B. solanacearum. 



This paper adds another family to those already known to be subject 

 to B. solanacearum. Described from the tomato, the potato, and the 

 eggplant in 1896 by Dr. Erwin F. Smith,* this organism has now been 

 proved infectious to one or more species of each of the following families : 

 Solanaceae, Compositae, Leguminosae, Verbenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, 

 Bignonaceae, and Geraniaceae. 



If tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes, peanuts, or tobacco have 

 shown this wilt disease, they should not be followed by nasturtiums. 



' Smith, Erwin F. A bacterial disease of thetomato, eggplant, and Irish potato (Bacillus solanacearum, 

 n. sp.). U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Veg. Physiol, and Path. Bui. 12, 28 p., 2 pi. (i col.). 1896. 



