Chinese researchers develop testing strip for major plant disease

BEIJING - Chinese researchers have developed a testing strip for the rapid detection of tobacco bacterial wilt, a major plant disease, according to the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).

Tobacco bacterial wilt is a soil-borne disease that not only infects tobacco but also more than 200 kinds of plants. Dubbed as the "cancer" of plants, it has many hosts and is hard to control.

The traditional detection method of the plant disease requires a series of steps such as DNA extraction, which usually takes at least five to six hours. Researchers from the Tobacco Research Institute under the CAAS developed a testing strip that can produce results in five minutes, greatly shortening the test period. Its technical indexes such as sensitivity and accuracy also meet national standards.

The testing strip can reduce detection costs and conduct on-site detection of bacterial wilt, facilitating early prevention and control of the plant disease, according to the CAAS.