The occurrence of biovars I and/or II of Ralstonia solanacearum in a potato (Solanum tuberosum) field has direct consequences for the success of the measures adopted to control bacterial wilt. Biovars differ regarding aggressiveness, latency and survival. An experiment was conducted in a naturally infested potato field in two seasons to find (1) the incidence of biovars I and II, (2) the relationship between biovar and planting season, and (3) the relationship between biovar and potato cultivar. Bacterial isolates from potato cultivars Achat, Baronesa, Elvira, Macaca, Monte Bonito, and Trapeira were identified as biovar I or II through PCR, using T3A and T5A primers. Both biovars I and II were found in the naturally infested field. Among 73 strains, 5.5 and 94.5 % were identified as biovar I and II, respectively. Biovar II was found in the spring and in the fall, regardless of the cultivar, but biovar I only in the spring season and on symptomless plants of Achat and Macaca cultivars. The highest population of biovar I on these two cultivars may be evidence for a possible relationship between biovar and cultivar.
