High heat and humidity, heavy rainfall … Characteristic Symptoms: The bacterium causes the internodes to turn tan to brown and become water soaked, soft and slimy. zeae Burk., McFad. Affected plants suddenly collapse and fall over. Bacterial stalk rot of maize caused by Dickeya zeae previously known as E. chrysanthemi pv. Rotting at the base of the whorl may also occur. Ears and shank may also show rot. Bacterial stalk rot typically smells bad as infection takes hold and systematically moves up the stalk and throughout the plant. Bacterial stalk rot of corn is favored under conditions of high air temperatures and wet weather or high humidity. Bacterial stalk rot is not common but often shows up with overhead irrigation of corn, especially where the water source is a lake, pond, or slow-moving stream. Bacterial Stalk rot - Erwinia dissolvens Symptoms The basal internodes develop soft rot and give a water soaked appearance. Conditions for Disease Development: The bacterium causing the disease attacks the plant through Area of impact: Stalk Description: Lowest internodes turn brown and become soft and slimy sometimes with a foul odor. A mild sweet fermenting odour accompanies such rotting. The bacteria survive in the plant debris and in soil. Wilting upper leaves and soft rot at the whorl’s base can also occur. in tropical white maize. The bacteria are splashed onto leaves and infection is promoted by extended wet periods. Bacterial stalk rot, as the name implies, is caused by a bacterium that grows well on wet, decaying plant material. Foul odor may be produced on the affected tissues. and Dim. zeae have economic importance of reduced crop yield up to 98.8%. Split the stalks and a discolored, soft, slimy pith is present. Infection starts at the petiole axis (Figure 1) which has abundance of free moisture and progresses to the stem. Infected stalks rot and lodge. 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