When your Garden Plant is SICK.....Part #1...Bacteria Infections...Some Common Infections and how to Recognize Them.

In my last post I spoke about Soil Solarization. Link listed below. Now in this post I am going to reveal how to tell the difference between a plant that is sick from a bacteria, in this mini series of post..Stay Tune for part #2, and #3 Fungus and Viruses. Follow along to learn more.

Now let's talk about BACTERIA. The signs of bacterial infected plants can be challenging to observe. The interesting fact is that not all bacteria is actually bad for the plant, most are beneficial, however the 200 types of bacteria that are not beneficial can be fatal. This time of year, mid summer, where it is warm and humid, is the ideal breeding ground for bacteria.Bacteria infects more often woody plants, such as your roses and fruit tree's and bushes.

One common symptom of bacteria is the leaf spot. Bacterial leaf spot on plants may reveal itself in many different ways. Symptoms of bacterial leaf spot may be black edged lesions, brown spots with a yellow halos or just light or dark areas on the foliage. Spots can be irregular and measure between 3/16 and ½ inch wide. They can be found on the top or bottom of a leaf and will kill sections of the tissue when clustered together. The pathogen can also be carried in infected seed. The following are some of the most common hosts to find this disease: lettuce, beets, eggplant, and peppers. Simply remove the infected leaves and monitor the plant for spread to other leaves and remove those leaves as well.

Bacterial Blight is another bacterial disease that is particularly severe on vegetables in eastern and southern North America. Foliage and pods display water-soaked spots that dry and drop out. On stems, lesions are long and dark colored. Some spots may ooze a bacterial slime. To control, plant resistant cultivars, remove infected plants, and dispose of plant debris. Use a 3-year rotation and don't touch plants while they are wet, as you may spread the disease.

Stewart's Wilt
This bacterial disease is commonly found on sweet corn in eastern North America and is widespread. It overwinters in flea beetles. It will infect corn when they start feeding on the leaves. Infected leaves will wilt and possibly have long streaks with a wavy margins. Bacterial slime tends to ooze out if you cut the stalks or leaves. Plants will eventually die or are sufficiently stunted with no ears producing fruit. Best way to control this bacteria infection is to, plant resistant cultivars, also eliminate flea beetles. Destroy all infected plants.

With over 200 types of diseases I posted about the more common ones that we would see here in North America, and perhaps in other diverse places, but for those living elsewhere here is a signs and symptoms quick check for the BACTERIAL INFECTIONS.

Bacterial signs:

Bacterial ooze
Water-soaked lesions
Bacterial streaming in water from a cut stem

Bacterial symptoms:

Leaf spot with yellow halo
Fruit spot
Canker
Crown gall
Sheperd’s crook stem ends on woody plants

There are a variety of classic and emerging soil-related bacterias which can cause serious human diseases, such as tetanus and botulism, which I will introduce in yet another post. Stay tuned. I hope this was helpful and if you can share any of your experiences with Bacteria Infections in your garden with pictures, we can all benefit.

Happy Trails

Link to Previous Post on Soil Solarization:

https://steemit.com/gardening/@gardengirlcanada/soil-solarization-the-natural-way-to-rejuvenate-and-clear-all-weeds-and-fungus-in-your-garden-s-soil

Image Sources:
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/signs_and_symptoms_of_plant_disease_is_it_fungal_viral_or_bacterial
http://www.legumematrix.com/fccp-disease-management-field-peas-16184
https://www.pioneer.com/home/site/us/agronomy/crop-management/corn-insect-disease/stewarts-wilt/
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/ppdc-gosss-bacterial-wilt-and-blight-corn-fusarium-soybean-unl-cropwatch-july-3