Bacterial Wilt Official Variety Test, Pee Dee Research and Education Center, Florence County, South Carolina, 2023

Bacterial wilt, caused by the bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, is among the most devastating diseases of flue-cured tobacco throughout the world. Symptoms include yellow, wilting, reddish to brown discoloration of the vascular system, pith rotting, and plant death. This report evaluates the resistance of flue-cured varieties to bacterial wilt. The trial was conducted in 2023 in a bacterial wilt nursery in Florence, SC. Results from these trials will help advise tobacco growers in developing integrated management programs for this disease.