1899 ] BRIEFER ARTICLES 65 
ON THE BLIGHT OF SORGHUM. 
THE tissues of the different organs of sorghum, under certain con- 
ditions which are not as yet perfectly known, may-become the seat of 
an intense production of red pigment which impregnates them. ‘The 
cells die and disintegrate, the disease being known as sorghum blight 
(sorgho bralt, Hirsebrand). | 
- The disease was first described in Italy by Palmeri and Comes,’ 
who have attributed it to the development of Saccharomycetes and 
bacteria. Later, in America, Burrill (1887) studied anew the blight, 
and, after having isolated sporogenous bacteria from the infected 
tissues, he attempted the inoculation of healthy plants. The results 
were variable; however, the author inferred the parasitism of the 
Bacillus Sorghi, nov. spec., and prescribed some measures for the pres- 
ervation of plantations from the invasion of the disease. Analogous 
experiments by Kellerman and Swingle’*, more convincing than the 
preceding, because of the number of infections obtained, led to the 
same conclusions. More recently, Bruyning* has examined some 
plants of sorghum attacked by the blight, and formulated some con- 
clusions different from those of the preceding authors. After having 
isolated several bacteria from the red tissues Bruyning retained two 
species which he considered the only factors of the fermentative disease, 
but these species are chromogenous outside the sorghum. These 
Microbes acted symbiotically, superposing their respective pigments, 
the one yellow, the other red, the mixture giving the coloration observed 
in the tissues. These views were not supported by any experiment of 
Moculation, ) 
ie. a studied some specimens of blighted sorghum sa 
Oe thea §etia. aay able to convince myself that in this case 
i see, ee of the blight were caused by the parasitic ss aa 
€ tissues of the plant. 
I  . Fie r 
oo oe preliminari Sopra alcuni fenomeni di fermentazione del Sorgo saccarino 
ese oa d fis, e mat. di Napoli, fase. 12, 7 : Sete 
: port of Bot. Depart. of the Kansas Stat. Agri. Coll. 1888. 
briilure du Sorgho, etc., et les bactéries qui la provoquent (Arch. Néerland. 
* PP: 297-330. 1898) he 
Tmacy ems were sent to the botanical laboratory of the School of 
With th Aes Professor Trabut. Professor Guignard had the kindness to entrust me 
~€ examination of them, See ek eRe 
, fai 
