Reinking: Philippine Economic-Plant Diseases 



195 



After this eliminating process, there was left one distinct or- 

 ganism that would produce the disease. At least 75 per cent 

 of positive infections can be obtained under proper conditions. 

 This one organism has been carried through a series of three 

 different plants by inoculation, reisolation, and reinoculation. 



The organism produces white colonies with a bluish tinge. 

 Since Bacillus coli (Escherich) has been associated with the 

 disease in Cuba and since the organism isolated here in the 

 Philippines appears to be somewhat similar to Bacillus coli 

 (Escherich) , inoculation experiments were carried out with the 

 latter organism. 



Authenticated cultures of 

 Bacillus coli (Escherich) ob- 

 tained from the United States 

 and also cultures obtained from 

 the Philippines were used. The 

 cultures from the United States 

 were isolated from man, those 

 from the Philippines were iso- 

 lated from man and horse. A 

 bud rot was produced with each 

 of these cultures. The rot pro- 

 duced from the first inoculation 

 was very slight, but the organ- 

 ism reisolated and then reino- 

 culated produced a rapid and 

 severe case of rot. The initial 

 inoculation was rather difficult 

 to obtain, except in cases where 

 the tissues of the coconuts were 

 severely injured. This indicates 

 that these bacteria must first pass 

 through a weakened host before 

 they become extremely virulent. 



As yet culture studies have not progressed far enough to as- 

 sign a definite name to the organism isolated from coconuts here 

 in the Philippines, but investigation has shown that there is a 

 bacterium that causes the bud rot of coconuts. A complete and 

 detailed acount of these investigations will be soon published. 



Cytological studies show only the presence of bacteria. Sec- 

 tions from a typical case of bud rot were made from diseased 

 portions obtained from the young leaves leading to the growing 

 point, from portions of the growing point, from the cabbage, 

 and in the wood. These sections show that the organism is not 



Bud rot of coconut, a, cross sec- 

 tion of infected portion of young 

 unfolded leaf, showing mass of 

 bacteria in tissue (X 425) ; b, 

 cross section of infected portion 

 of young unfolded leaf, showing 

 mass of bacteria in xylem tubes 

 of a vascular bundle (X 330). 



