Damping off and root rot of spinach
Fungal causal agents: Fusarium and Rhizoctonia sp./spp.
Symptoms: Symptoms of damping off and root rot consist of poor seed germination, preemergence death of seedlings, postemergence death of newly emerged seedlings, stunted plants, yellowed lower leaves, general poor growth, wilting, and eventual collapse and death of older plants. Roots of infected plants can appear water-soaked or brown to black in color. The upper taproot may be girdled by a necrotic lesion, or the tip of...
Twig Blight, Canker and Dieback on Camellia
Fungal causal agent: Glomerella cingulata.The asexual stage of the fungus is Colletotrichum gleosporioides
Symptoms: Sudden wilting of branches is usually the first indication of the disease. Gray blotches appear on bark of stem or branches. Underlying wood dies and bark may split to form open wounds or cankers. Leaves on affected branches turn chlorotic and branch tips die back.
Management:. Prune off and destroy infected twigs, several inches below visible canker, use a commercial...
Anthracnose on Lupine
Fungal causal agent: Colletotrichum spp.
Symptoms: Leaf lesions start as small brown circular/semi-circular lesions on the margins or throughout the leaf surface. Stems can also be covered with numerous lesions. Bending and twisting of leaves is a characteristic symptom. The plants may exhibit rapid yellowing and dieback during heavy infection.
Management:. Resistance among various types of Lupin’s have been reported and should be useful in locations with high risk of getting...
Alternaria leaf blight of carrots
Fungal causal agent: Alternaria dauci
Symptoms: Small leaf spots with water soaking is the first symptom, later stage symptoms may also have a yellow halo around the enlarged black/brown lesions. This may be followed by moderate to severe blighting of leaves. Period from February-April is ideal for disease development and spread of the pathogen in Florida based on the assessments from last 2 years in North Florida.
Management:. When prolonged periods of leaf wetness and warm...
Phytophthora crown and root rot of scotch bonnet
Oomycete causal agent: Phytophthora capsici
Symptoms: Wilting of plants, black marking and water-soaked area at the crown of the plant leading to collapse of the plant, and white sporulation at a later stage on the collar region. The infected plants completely die with no yield. Common in areas with water-logging issues.
Management:. Wet conditions favor the disease. Avoid planting in areas with issues with water logging. In addition apply fungicides early to reduce inoculum....
The aim of this blog is to update extension agents about the latest incidences of diseases in Florida thereby protecting Florida and US Agriculture. This is an interactive platform and extension agents can ask questions about diseases and its management through this section. You can e:mail the questions by clicking the “Email me” on each blog page. This is part of the research and extension program of NFREC and the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Florida