Goss’s wilt is caused by the bacterium Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis (Cmn).

The survival of Cmn in soil and crop residues was examined by Schuster (1975). Pure cultures of the bacterium in soil did not survive for long (less than two weeks), however the bacterium was able to survive for up to 10 months in infested surface crop residue. When the crop residue (leaves, stalks, cobs and ears) was buried at 4 inches or 8 inches, the bacterium was only detected in stalks residue after 10 months. Thus, conservation tillage practices that partially bury infested crop residue should reduce survival of the Goss’s wilt bacterium. Any tillage done must take into account soil conservation. Rotating to a non-host crop, such as soybean, will allow time for infested residues to breakdown and inoculum levels to decrease.