The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-10-19
Wilt and Anthracnose, or Boil Rot.

'tblight,' ''frenching," "black heart,
and "blackroot.' Plants attacked
by the disease may suddenly wilt and
die; in other cases, only one side of
the plant may be affected, the rest of
the plant remaining green. Some
times plants may partly recover.
though generally plants affected
either die outright or are so severe
ly injured that very few perfect bolls
are produced.
| The cause of the disease is fun
gus that attacks the roots and pene-
trates upward into the stem, cutting
| off the water supply and causing
death. This fungus grows only on
cotton and okra. Watermelons, cow
| peas, and other crops are also at
tackled by wilt fungi, though these
do not cause cotton wilt. The cot
ton wilt fungus, while living on no
plants other than cotton and okra, is
very tenacious of life, and is able to
| live for a number Of years on decay
ing vegetable matter in the soil, then
attacking cotton when it is planted
on such infected lands. This fact is
of Importance in considering crop ro-
tations as a method of wilt control.
While appearing locally in most
sections Of the cotton belt, cotton
wilt is very destructive only in the
coastal plain country extending from
| eastern North Carolina southwest
ward to south central Alabama. It
is interesting to note that this belt
| is only 100 to $50 miles wide, and
that it embraces the very sandy and
sandy loan soils of the cotton belt.
Farther inland, on the heavier loans
| and clay lands, wilt has never be-
come destructively prevalent. Though
not definitely proved, there is strong
| evidence to indicate that cotton wilt
finds most favorable conditions for
it's development only on light sandy
soils, and that on the heavier loans
and clays it will never be very de-
structive.
Cotton wilt has a very effective
ally in the eel-worm or nematode, a
tiny worm one-twentieth to- one-six-
tieth of an inch in length, which bores
into the cotton roots, causing an en-
larged, knotty condition of the roots
known as ''root-knot." Now, just
as a cut or scratched place on boys
foot may become infected with germs
that cause Inflammation and even
lockjaw, so the knotted, diseased
roots caused by the nematode are
easily attacked by the cotton wilt
fungus.
With the above facts in mind, we
are ready to consider the methods of
controlling cotton wilt and of maxi
ing cotton in spite of it.
Farmers and State and United
States investigators early noticed
that no matter how bad wilt might
be in a certain field, there were al
ways a few stalks that survived and
produced good crops. Of course it
was very natural to conclude that
these stalks that lived while those
all around them died possessed es-
pecial resistance to the disease, anG
that seed selected from such stalks
would likewise prove resistant. This
theory proved correct. and has re-
suited in the development OF the
wilt-resistant strains of cotton, one
of which every farmer with within
fected land should plant.
Two wilt-resistant varieties devel-
oped by the United States depart
ment of Agriculture are Dixie and
Dillon, though they are not early ma
turing and thus are at disadvan-
tage in boil weevil territory, which at
an early date will probably include
a large part of the wilt-infected
areas. The Covington-Toole, a wilt
| resistant strain of the Too1e develop
ed in Alabama, has been very prom
Using in tests made by the Alabama
experiment station, and is apparent
ly early enough to be suited to boil
weevil conditions. The Sam Wood is
a variety that has been popular in
the wilt areas in southeast Alabama,
and we understand that the Georgia
State entomologist, Atlanta, Ga. has
developed a variety that is both wilt"
resistant and early enough to be-
adapted to boil weevil conditions.
Since the nematodes above referred
to make the roots of the cotton more
subject to attacks of wilt, it is highly
important that these parasites be kept
under control. This is best done by
| n1antinp m the land crODS which they