Studies on the survival of corn stalk rot bacteria

Summary Erwinia carotovora andPseudomonas lapsa which cause stalk rot of corn survived in soil and host tissues under different conditions.E. carotovora survived for 150 days and 90 days in sterile and unsterile soils, respectively, whileP. lapsa survived for 135 days and 75 days under similar conditions when they were added as cell suspensions.E. carotovora survived in diseased tissues for 22, 8, and 7 months at 0–5°C (refrigerator), 22–28°C (room), and 20–37°C (field) temperatures whileP. lapsa survived for 26, 10, and 9 months, respectively, under similar conditions. Seeds of Ganga 3 were found to carryP. lapsa for 14 months, when they were stored at room (22–28°C) temperature.