Serologic studies of the maize stalk rot pathogen Erwinia carotovora f. sp. zeae.

With the help of serological techniques, namely microprecipitin, agglutination, and gel diffusion, sixteen isolates of maize stalk rot pathogen were proved to be identical. Serological techniques have thus been utilized as an additional tool for identifying the pathogen Erwinia carotovora f. sp. zea. It was also established that the pathogen does not perpetuate in the seed, either externally of internally. It could, however, be found through serological tests that infected ears carried the pathogen and transmitted it as a contaminant to the healthy seeds.