A recent outbreak of bacterial canker in British Columbia, Canada left greenhouse growers looking for answers. While unable to provide a cure, Seminis responded to this outbreak by sending Dr. Kevin Conn, a senior scientist from Seminis’ plant pathology lab in Woodland, California to visit with growers and provide them with more information about bacterial canker, its epidemiology and control measures.

“Bacterial canker is the kiss of death to a seed lot,” Conn said. “Our varieties were not suspect, but we wanted to offer support, now and later on, to the growers. We’re concerned; we want growers to be successful.”

Along with Seminis sales manager Joep van de Burgt, Conn visited four greenhouses in the Delta area, some of which had recent problems with the disease and others looking for more information about prevention.

Conn visited with grower Gert Van Straalen at Millennium Pacific Greenhouse Partnership. While they had not encountered problems with bacterial canker in their greenhouses, they were pleased to have more information about the disease.

“It was an extremely useful visit. Kevin’s brain is full of information. He showed me some things about bacterial canker that I had never seen before. He made us more aware of the problem and was very helpful,” Straalen said.

A real concern for growers, bacterial canker can survive for up to three or more years in infected plant debris, caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis. It can also survive on weeds, volunteer tomato plants and seed. This disease can be spread by splashing water and the use of contaminated equipment and tools in pruning, clipping and transplanting operations. Moderate temperatures and greater than 80 percent relative humidity favor disease development.

Dr. Kevin Conn discusses bacterial canker with growers in British Columbia, Canada.

Conn recommends many control measures including, but not limited to, the following:

• Only use seed from certified seed lots that have been assayed for the presence of bacterial canker.

• Wash hands and arms thoroughly with soap and water before working with plants.

• Workers should wear freshly laundered clothing each day.

• Remove all plant debris.

• Check plants frequently. Suspect and infected plants should be removed and burned.

“There’s no silver bullet, no real answer in this outbreak. The growers here run such clean operations that it’s hard to imagine where the bacterium are hiding,” Conn said. “I’m very impressed; these are the most sophisticated growers I’ve met.”

For more information about bacterial canker or to request a copy of Seminis’ Tomato Disease Guide please contact your local Seminis representative.

Seminis is the world’s leading developer, producer and marketer of vegetable seeds. Its products are designed to reduce the need for agricultural chemicals, increase crop yield, reduce spoilage, offer longer shelf life, and create better tasting foods and foods with higher nutritional content. Seminis has established a worldwide presence and global distribution network that spans 150 countries and territories.