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Pollution Of Surface Irrigation Waters By Plant Pathogenic Organisms, James R. Steadman, C. R. Maier, H. F. Schwartz, E. D. Kerr

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Systematic sampling of waterways and irrigation runoff from agricultural lands in the North Platte Project of Nebraska in July and August of 1972–1974 demonstrated that phytopathogenic organisms were disseminated. The organisms monitored included the bean common blight bacterium Xanthomonas phaseoli, the bean white mold fungus Whetzelinia sclerotiorum and various nematodes. Although many types of nematodes often were recovered from irrigation water, Heterodera sp. cysts which cause significant disease problems in the valley were found infrequently. Patterns of movement of the bacterial and fungal organisms were correlated with previous or current season infection of bean plants. The short-term survival of X. …