Crown Gall Disease In Plants > Identify, Control & Prevention Tips

Crown Gall Disease In Plants

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a type of Gram-negative soil bacterium of the family Rhizobiaceae, which is a known pathogen of many plant species, causing crown gall disease, a type of plant tumor. Known also as bacterial root cancer, galls hinder the movement of water and nutrients in plants. Because of the large number of plant species it affects, the bacterium is an important threat to agriculture. The main factor of pathogenicity is this bacterium's biological ability to transform the host plant's cells.

The Agrobacterium causes the formation of the tumor, the so-called crown galls, in plants. An agrobacterial transformation, which occurs through this soil-dwelling A. tumefaciens is the result of root penetration that becomes possible because of damage. Because of it, the transformed cells, due to an imbalance of synthesis, begin uncontrolled growth and synthesize products that are a source of nutrition for a dangerous bacterium. This disease is characteristic of many agricultural crops such as grapes, sunflowers, beets, horseradish, rhubarb, carrots, and tomatoes, along with many more fruits and berries.

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Signs of damage

First appears as small thickets;
Wounds that provoked the entrance of the bacterium into the plant;
The presence of root-chewing insects in places of cultivation;
Formation of tumors, which are somewhat spherical in shape, white or pale, rough, and spongy, on the roots, trunks, and shoots of infected plants in late spring or early summer;
In summer, the tumors harden and become black or dark brown;
In the most severe cases, plants become weakened, stunted, and unproductive.

How to prevent

Prevention of crown gall disease is the best way to avoid the negative consequences of pathogen interference in the healthy development of the plant. Such easy measures as sterilization of the garden inventory, constant plant observation, and protection of the roots and crowns of the cultivated plants from various damages can help to reduce the risks of disease development in the future substantially. The most important rule here is to avoid plant injuries that sometimes occur during pruning due to winter freezing, soil insects, and other factors that potentially damage plant tissues.

Heal

The good news is that crown gall disease is controllable. The double system of trunks (shoots), which is effective for grapes, minimizes losses in the event of galls. In order to reduce damage to plants, galls should be cut off. If one shoot is infected, remove it, and shorten the other one. Remove the galls located at the tops of shoots or trunks by pruning. Remember to burn all the infected plant material, as the bacteria may remain in the soil for years.

To control galls in apples, pears, blueberries, and many other ornamental plants, you can also use the biological control method, the commercial drug AgrobacteriumAgrobacterium radiobacter strain K84, a non-pathogenic bacteria that protect plants from infection by strains of pathogenic soil bacteria.

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