June a, 1923 
Influence of Moisture on Bean Wilt 
751 
APPLICATION OF MATERIALS 
The seed was divided into portions suitable for sowing an individual 
row. To each lot of seed was added its respective preparation in quantity 
sufficient to allow for the complete moistening of the beans. After they 
were treated they were spread out to dry; following this operation, they 
were planted. All seed used in the experiment was planted by hand on 
May 26, 1922, care being taken to cover the seed promptly to prevent 
the undue exposure of the inoculated seed to the rays of the sun. The 
soil which was practically bone-dry, was sowed at the approximate rate 
of 1,000 pounds per acre in the rows with the seed and covered promptly. 
BASES OF OBSERVATIONS 
Wilting symptoms (PI. i, B) were taken as the criteria for collecting 
disease data. Hand sections of the stems of the bean plants in the 
wilting stage invariably showed the presence of numerous bacteria in 
the tissues, and even in the healthy appearing tissues of these plants bac¬ 
teria were noticeable. The wilting condition occurred either in the main 
stem or side shoot or in both (Pis. i, A, B, and 2, A, B) and at prac¬ 
tically all periods of growth. In connection with the figures reported in 
Table I it should be mentioned that dead plants were assumed to have 
been killed by the wilt disease organism. In a few cases partial recovery 
was noted, but only for a very short time. These data were collected 
on July 24 and July 25. 
TabI/I^ I .—Influence of moisture on the bacterial wilt of navy beans in Redfleld, S. Dak.^ 
soils 
Redfield seed. 
Selected market seed. 
Treatment. 
Number 
of plants. 
Diseased. 
Totally 
diseased. 
Number 
of plants. 
Diseased. 
Totally 
diseased. 
None ^. 
933 
Per cent. 
2. 0 
Per cent. 
0. 7 
1,042 
Per cent. 
2.9 
Per cent. 
0. I 
Water. 
378 
19- S 
7.8 
383 
6.8 
1-3 
Ashby broth. 
385 
22. 0 
10.3 
475 
5-6 
. 0 
Lohnis broth. 
323 
15-3 
7.0 
440 
5 - 0 
.6 
Inoculated soil. 
481 
7.0 
3-4 
507 
2.8 
. 2 
Commercial culture. 
398 
17. 0 
9.0 
465 
9 - 5 
I. 6 
407 Wisconsin. 
404 
17-5 
4 - 7 
394 
9. 6 
I- 7 
342 United States De¬ 
partment of Agricul¬ 
ture. 
324 
34. 5 
10. 0 
384 
7 - 5 
I. 0 
162 United States De¬ 
partment of Agricul¬ 
ture. 
395 
II -5 
4.5 
417 
8.8 
1-5 
^ The figures for this treatment represent the combined results from four rows of bean plants as indicated 
in the plan of experiment, whereas other data given represent only the average of two similar sized rows. 
It is quite uniformly indicated that the plants from the Redfield beans 
were affected by the wilt to a greater extent than the selected market 
beans and that the application of moisture to the seed previous to planting 
is evidently the primary cause for the stimulation of the activities of the 
bean wilt organism. 
