- Rhizoctonia Solani is the most common cause of seedling blight
- Prolonged exposure to cold, very wet or dry soil, deep seeding and short crop rotations encourage infection
- Seeds fail to germinate and become soft and pulpy or they germinate and become soft and pulpy or they germinate but seedlings fail to emerge
- Seedling roots decay and the rot extends up into hypocotyl and stem at the soil surface, causing the seedling to topple over
- Typical wirestem appearance
- In dry conditions, shriveled stem may persist
- Under wet condition, the seedling is destroyed in a few days
- Seedling blight may be scattered throughout fields or in patches, particularly on knolls or in depressions
- By the two to four-leaf stage, seedlins can withstand light to moderate infection and regenerate new rootlets
Generally causes poor stand establishment
Scouting:
- Just after emergence, look for areas of fields that exhibit severe stand reduction and scout those areas for symptoms of blight or damping off
Control:
- Seed shallowly in firmly packed soil
- Sow into warm soils with adequate fertility
- Prosper seed treatment will protect against Rhizoctonia Solani
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