The measurement of the concentration and distribution of Ceratocystis paradoxa (De Seynes) moreau in soil

Abstract

A baiting technique making use of sugar-cane discs was used to estimate the concentration, and presence of aggregations, of spores of Ceratocystis paradoxa in the soil. The technique was based on the probability of infection from small samples of soil. A concentration of six spores per gram of soil was readily detected.

A number of sugar-cane fields were surveyed. The equivalent random concentration of spores varied from 0 to 148 per gram of soil for samples taken 4–8 in. below the soil surface. The greatest concentrations of spores were at 3–6 or 6–10 in. depths.