Beneficial bacteria support tomato growth and suppress disease

Bacterial canker, a vascular infection, can wreak havoc on tomato plants, with symptoms ranging from wilted leaves to the collapse of an entire plant. Clavibacter michiganensis, the seedborne pathogen that causes the disease, can be challenging to treat because it spreads easily. "This pathogen is really problematic, especially in greenhouses," said microbiologist Eric Déziel, Ph.D., at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Quebec, Canada.

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