Author(s): B. MONDAL, . BHATTACHARYA AND D. C. KHATUA

Abstract: Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith) Yabuuchi et al. is prevalent in West Bengal. During the surveys in West Bengal from 2005 to 2010 it was found to cause extensive damage to crops like brinjal, tomato, potato, marigold, chilli, tobacco, elephant foot yam, bottle gourd, water melon, banana, jute, ginger, large cardamom, Cestrum nocternum and Bougainvillea sp. including twelve wild plants viz. Croton sparsiflorus,Cestrum diurnum, Solanum indicum, Solanum sisymbriifolium, Physalis minima, Amaranthus spinosus,Amaranthus viridis, Datura metel, Malachra capitata, Melochia corchorifolia, Pennisetum purpureum and Costus speciosus. Percent disease incidence was recorded from 1.09 to 91.85 in crop plants whereas, wild plants harbour this menacing pathogen in off-season and serve as collateral hosts effectively. Isolates of R. solanacearum from brinjal, tomato, potato, marigold, jute, chilli and eight wild plants i.e. Croton sparsiflorus,Cestrum diurnum, Solanum indicum, S. sisymbriifolium, Physalis minima, Amaranthus spinosus, A. viridis andDatura metel were found to be pathogenic on tomato and brinjal. But the isolates of ginger, elephant foot yam and the wild host Costus speciosus belonged to same group and were pathogenic on these three hosts only..

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