Isolation of Bacteria From Cotton Bolls in the Texas Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Valley

Boll rots have caused a reduction in yield, lint quality, and increased contaminated seed.  During 2011 and 2012 field surveys were conducted throughout the Texas Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Valley to determine incidence of cotton boll rot.  A variety trial was conducted using the top five varieties (FiberMax (FM) 1740B2F, FM 840B2F, DeltaPine (DP) 1044B2RF, DP 1048B2RF, and Phytogen (PHY) 375WRF) produced in the Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Valley regions of Texas based on producer input.  Cotton bolls exhibiting insect or environmental damage were collected, dissected, ground, and plated on Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA).  Colonies were identified using Gas Chromatographic Fatty Acid Methyl Esters. Preliminary results indicate that Arthobacter, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Flavimonas, Pantoea, and Pseudomonas spp. are the most commonly found microorganisms throughout the observed regions in Texas.  The results also show less than 1% of bolls were infected by cotton boll rot.  Determining the pathogenicity of these bacterial microorganisms would improve upon the knowledge of bacteria that may be associated with boll rot.  Due to implications in the study, further research is warranted.