Evaluation of Enset Clones for Their Reaction to Bacterial Wilt of Enset (Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum) in Gurage Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Bacterial wilt of enset is one of the major threats for the enset production in Gurage Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Even though the use of resistant clones has been an effective management strategy for the disease, such clones are not well identified. Hence, twenty five enset clones, collected from Gurage zone, were evaluated for their reaction to Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum (Xcm) in potted experiment under greenhouse conditions. Twelve suckers were grown for all the 25 clones and ten were inoculated with Xcm pathogen at a concentration of 10^8 cfu/ml and the other suckers were kept untreated as a control. All the 25 enset clones showed wilt symptom but at varying levels of the disease severity. Only one clone (Gezwet) was resistant, 7 clones moderately resistance, 6 clones susceptible and the other 11 clones were highly susceptible to the disease based on wilt incidence, incubation time and Area Under the Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC). The mean incubation period ranges from 16.2 (on Yeregye clone) to 42.2 days (on Gezwet clone). The complete wilting period was also longer for the resistant clone and shorter for susceptible clones. Therefore, Gezwet clone and the other moderately resistant clones were recommended for farmers to incorporate in their farming.