Bacterial mosaic disease of wheat

Bacterial mosaic of wheat is caused by the gram positive bacterium Clavibacter tessellarius. The symptoms of the disease are uniformly distributed small chlorotic spots with mosaic pattern on the entire leaf surface resemble those symptoms of nutrient deficiencies and some viral diseases, and it may be difficult to determine. Due to the seed-borne nature of the disease, use of healthy and certified pathogen free seeds is the most important strategy for managing this disease. The wheat bacterial mosaic has been reported in wheat fields in several provinces of Iran and it seems to be widespread in different wheat growing areas. In order to better understand the disease, its various aspects including the symptoms, pathogen biology and its host ranges, and management of the disease are reviewed in this article.