Category: Disease
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Charcoal Rot Showing Up in Cantaloupe
From Clemson Extension Agent Rob Last and Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Charcoal rot was identified in a cantaloupe crop in South Carolina this week. The fungus responsible for the disease is Macrophomina phaseolina, a soil-borne fungus that survives as microsclerotia. The fungus affects more than 800 host plants. These range from corn and soybean to…
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Managing Southern Blight on Tomato and Pepper After Detection
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. As reported in the June 6 edition of SC Grower, southern blight is showing up in crops of tomato and pepper. At this late date in the growing season, the best fungicide option for conventional growers is Priaxor, two applications made 2 weeks apart at a cost of $34…
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Field Testing for Bacterial Wilt
Bacterial wilt and Southern blight have been showing up in SC over the last couple weeks. While both diseases cause indistinguishable wilting in the infected plant, it is important to determine which disease is present in order to appropriately manage it. The test shown below is a quick field test that will help distinguish between…
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Managing Phytophthora Blight on Pepper
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath and Extension Agent Andy Rollins. After 3.28 inches of rain in the Upstate from May 23 to 26, symptoms of Phytophthora blight showed up in one or more fields of pepper and tomato after June 1. The heavy downpour and the volume of rain saturated the soil, providing the…
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Downy Mildew Spreads to Charleston, SC
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath and Extension Agent Zack Snipes. Downy mildew was found on non-sprayed “sentinel” cucumbers at Coastal REC, Charleston, SC, on June 1. Two susceptible slicing cultivars (Silver Slicer and Poinsette) had 5% leaf area diseased, while the resistant cultivars Citadel pickling and DMR-NY401 slicing and the moderately resistant Bristol slicing…
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Fusarium Wilt Symptoms in Watermelon at Fruit Set Stage
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath and Extension Agent Rob Last. Watermelon growers may find new plants with symptoms of Fusarium wilt as the plants start to set fruit or as fruit sizes up. In the infested field at Coastal REC, 3-5% of the plants previously rated as healthy showed symptoms in the past 2…
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Cucurbit Downy Mildew Arrives in SC
Prepared by Rob Last. Cucurbit downy mildew has been identified in South Carolina this morning (5/25/22). The identification came from a field of cucumbers in Bamberg County. Please remember to make fungicide applications seven days apart, a stretch longer than this is likely to increase the potential for disease spread. For cucumbers, some suggested products…
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Fungicides to Manage Cercospora Leaf Spot on Beet
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Cercospora leaf spot is the most damaging disease on beet greens and bunched beets. This disease is one of the few diseases I have worked with that can be managed equally well by conventional and organic fungicides. Based on previous research in New York with processing beets, I tested…
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Beet Cultivars Tolerant to Cercospora Leaf Spot
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Once beets emerge from the ground, the biggest challenge South Carolina growers face is keeping the leaves free of Cercospora leaf spot. This disease is a problem wherever beets are grown for greens or bunching (roots sold with tops attached). Cercospora leaf spot does not affect the weight or…
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Planting Cucumbers Early Avoids Downy Mildew and Increases Yield without Fungicides
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath Growers who have flexibility in deciding when to plant cucumbers should plant them within 1 month of the earliest recommended planting date for their region. Planting dates for commercial growers are in the Southeast Vegetable Crop Handbook (Pg 75). Planting dates for home gardeners are in fact sheet HGIC…
The South Carolina Grower 