Sorghum Diseases in India

P. avenae has been reported from North
America, Asia, South America, and Africa
(Commonwealth Mycological Institute 1976).
P. rubrilineans is synonymous to P. avenae
(Claflin and Ramundo, unpublished data) and
the latter has been reported from numerous
countries in Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania,
and Central America (Commonwealth Mycological
Institute 1987)
Bacterial Leaf Stripe of Pearl Millet
While surveying in 1984 for pearl millet diseases
in northern Nigeria, nearly every sowing observed
while traveling the almost 700 km from
Sokoto to Jos showed a bacterial leaf disease
(Claflin et al. 1987). Lesions, 3-25 cm long, were
usually confined within the leaf veins (Fig. 2).
Isolations on YDCA and KB yielded cream-colored,
nonfluorescing colonies, closely resembling
those of P. andropogonis, within 3 days.
Physiological and biochemical tests, however,
indicated the two to be quite different. The
millet isolate differed from P. rubrilineans, the
causal agent of red stripe disease in sugarcane
(Christopher and Edgerton 1930), only in that
P. rubrilineans is negative for production of acid
from salicin. Few differences were observed
when comparing the millet isolate and P rubrilineans
strains to those of P. avenae and P. rubrisubalbicans.
The millet strains were capable of
acid production from salicin, whereas strains of
the other species tested negative. P. avenae and
P. rubrisubalbicans utilized malonate as the sole
carbon source whereas millet strains and
P rubrilineans were negative. Most strains of
P. avenae, P rubrilineans, P. rubrisubalbicans, and
the millet pathogen produced acid from arabinose,
fructose, galactose, glucose, glycerol,
and sorbitol. All of the strains tested except
those of P. andropogonis grew at 41 °C and, except
for one strain of P rubrisubalbicans, no growth
occurred at 4°C All of the bacterial
Figure 2. Bacterial leaf stripe on pearl millet caused by Pseudomonas avenae.
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