Survival ofCorynebacterium sepedonicum in potato stems and on surfaces held at freezing and above-freezing temperatures

The survival ofCorynebacterium sepedonicum, the bacterial ring rot pathogen, in infected potato stems and on burlap surfaces held at various freezing and above-freezing temperatures was investigated by root-inoculating potato stem cuttings with aqueous suspensions prepared from these materials. Infectious bacteria were recovered from dried Russet Burbank stems held for 44 mo in an unheated machine shed and from dried Warba stems held for 55 mo. Inoculum from dried stems of all cultivars held for 63 mo did not incite symptoms; however, inoculum from Russet Burbank stems incited symptomless infection in 10% of the inoculated plants. This 63-mo survival period exceeds a 26-mo survival period previously reported. Ring rot bacteria survived and remained infectious for at least 18 mo on burlap surfaces subjected to temperatures of ?40° to ?5°C, alternating temperatures of -5° to 5°C, or a constant temperature of 5°C. Inoculum from burlap stored at the lower temperatures caused the most severe symptoms. These results stress the need for keeping crop debris away from potato operations and for using proper decontamination procedures to maintain potato seed stocks free of ring rot.