How to Identify and Treat Asparagus Crown and Root Rot
Fusarium and Phytophthora crown and root rot can devastate asparagus plots and cause a total loss of yields. There are steps you can take to minimize the stress to your plants and enhance their chances of survival. Learn how to identify and treat these diseases with our guide.
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Asparagus growers have been aware of Fusarium crown and root rot since at least 1908, and things have not improved much since then.
This disease can shorten the lifespan of your crop by 50 percent even when you implement good cultural practices.
In fact, many 20th century asparagus growers on the East Coast were forced to abandon it as a crop because of this disease.
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. asparagi and F. proliferatum produce spores that last for decades and are ubiquitous in the soil.
Their omnipresence means that as soon as some factor stresses your crop, it can become vulnerable to crown and root rot.
And as if this horrific disease is not bad enough, a third pathogen can cause crown and root rot on asparagus – the water mold Phytophthora asparagi.
In addition to attacking the crowns and roots, this organism can also infect the spears.
In this article, we will cover what you can do to protect your plants from these diseases.
Effects of the Three Pathogens
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. asparagi causes a wilt of the plant’s vascular system. This fungus produces resting spores called chlamydospores that can remain dormant in the soil for up to 30 years.
These chlamydospores have been found on root debris in plots in which asparagus had not been grown for 15 years!
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