The control of bacterial blight in rain-grown cotton. II. Some effects of infection on growth and yield

Abstract

Three series of experiments are described from which minimum estimates of crop loss caused by bacterial blight were obtained. In the first two, the estimates were derived from seed-dressing trials, and in the third, seed dressing was used in conjunction with resistant varieties.Losses amounted to as much as 354 ± 39 lb. seed cotton/acre for a susceptible variety but could be reduced both by seed dressing and by using resistant varieties. The effectiveness of resistance in moderately resistant varieties varied from one season to the next, an effect comparable with the genotype-environment interactions previously described for reactions to inoculation.