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Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosus (bacterial alfalfa wilt )
Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosus
bacterial alfalfa wilt
Aplanobacter insidiosus, Bacterium insidiosum, Burkholderiella insidiosa, Corynebacterium insidiosum, Corynebacterium michiganense pv. insidiosum, Corynebacterium michiganense subsp. insidiosum, Erwinia insidiosa, Mycobacterium insidiosum, Phytomonas insidiosa
Africa: Tunisia; Asia: Iran, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan; Europe: Lithuania, Poland, Russia, UK; North America: Mexico, USA; Oceania: Australia, New Zealand
AR, CA, IA, KS, KY, MD, MN, MT, NE, NV, NY, ND, OH, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI
2025-08-05
bacterium
Sudan, China, Korea
Main: Alfalfa; Other: forage Fabaceae spps, native and clovers.
CORBIN
Currently absent from many EU countries, Canada and Brazil. Many countries report presence, but no significant disease. It spreads through infected seed, tools, water, or insect vectors and can survive in soil and plant debris.
1 Known Hosts
Medicago sativa
alfalfa
uncertain
CORBIN-2, CORBIN-3, CORBIN-4, CABI CPC, EPPO, CORBIN-5
Clavibacter michiganesis pv. insidiosus may be seed borne, but seed transmission under agronomic conditions is rare. Diseased plants generally produce relatively few seeds. The seeds produced are of low quality, typically shrunken and shriveled. These seeds are difficult to detect in large seed lots and are usually removed during the seed cleaning process. While the bacterium has been detected in a small percentage of seeds, especially from artificially infected plants, evidence of seed-to-seedling transmission is lacking. Most spread occurs through root or stem wounds, contaminated tools, water, or vectors.
Yes
Culture plate, PCR
These tests have not been standardized or validated. Culture plating is used by Canadian Food Inspection System.
CORBIN-4
biological
Resistant varieties are available.
CORBIN-1
2025-08-05 12:03:31
CORBIN-2
Cormack MW, Moffatt JE, 1956. Occurrence of the bacterial wilt organism in alfalfa seed. Phytopathology, 46:407-409.
CORBIN-3
Samac, D. A.; Paul, S.; Nix, R. J.; Oleson, A. E. 1998 Transmission frequency of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosus to alfalfa seed and identification of the bacterium by PCR. Plant Disease 82:1362-1367
CORBIN-4
Sheppard JW, 1991. Protocol sheet No. 14. Ottawa, Canada: Seed Borne Disease Unit, Central Seed Laboratory, Canadian Food Inspection System.
CABI CPC
Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
EPPO
OEPP/EPPO Global Database - European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization
CORBIN-5
EFSA Panel on Plant Health (PLH). (2014). Scientific Opinion on the pest categorisation of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosus (McCulloch) Davis et al. EFSA Journal, 12(12), 3910.
CORBIN-1
Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosus In: Crop Protection Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/cpc.
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