Chemical Antibacterial Agents Used to Disinfect Cultivation Tools against the Crown Gall Disease of Stone Fruits

Abstract

Several chemicals were tested and evaluated as antibacterial agents against the Palestinian isolate of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the causal agent of the crown gall disease. Based on the disk diffusion method on nutrient agar, formaldehyde appeared to be the strongest followed by sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, Hypex and Dettol. On the other hand, those chemicals revealed 90-100% inhibition against the bacterial cell contaminating common pins.  The other chemicals showed either an intermediate or weak bacterial inhibition of the bacterium on agar nutrient media.

Keywords: Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Crown gall, Antibacterial disinfectants, Palestine