Abstract

The evaporative-binding enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (EB-EIA) was used to compare the relative populations of Leifsonia (Clavibacter) xyli subsp. xyli, the causal agent of ratoon stunting disease, in 25 cultivars of sugarcane that were inoculated by planting them through a contaminated mechanical planter. There were highly significant differences between cultivars in relative populations of bacteria in xylem extracts. However, the percentage of samples rated as positive for the bacterium was consistently lower in only one cultivar, H56-752. The absorbance readings for cultivars between the plant and ratoon crop and between two separate experiments were highly correlated. The EB-EIA is a simple method for rating cultivars for resistance to ratoon stunting disease.