Rhizoctonia, a fungal disease that can be found in many ornamental plants, can be eliminated in azalea by placing plant cuttings in a hot water treatment, an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and his university collaborator have found.
Rhizoctonia web blight is an annual problem in azalea cultivars grown in containerized nursery production in the southern and eastern United States. The fungus lives on all azalea plant surfaces and in the pine bark soil throughout the year, yet only causes plant damage in July and August, when heat and humidity peak.
The disease first affects the azalea’s internal leaves during June, with signs often unseen by the grower. Within 24 hours, the shrub can go from appearing healthy to having one-third of its leaves rapidly turn brown and die.
Rhizoctonia is undetectable to the human eye, which means the pathogen can be carried on stem cuttings used to propagate new plants and circulated within nursery stock for years. Current control efforts include treating plants with fungicide to stop the severe plant damage. However, dipping stem cuttings in a disinfestant or fungicide solution has not controlled spread of the fungus, so better control methods are needed.
For more info http://www.ars.usda.gov
Rhizoctonia web blight is an annual problem in azalea cultivars grown in containerized nursery production in the southern and eastern United States. The fungus lives on all azalea plant surfaces and in the pine bark soil throughout the year, yet only causes plant damage in July and August, when heat and humidity peak.
The disease first affects the azalea’s internal leaves during June, with signs often unseen by the grower. Within 24 hours, the shrub can go from appearing healthy to having one-third of its leaves rapidly turn brown and die.
Rhizoctonia is undetectable to the human eye, which means the pathogen can be carried on stem cuttings used to propagate new plants and circulated within nursery stock for years. Current control efforts include treating plants with fungicide to stop the severe plant damage. However, dipping stem cuttings in a disinfestant or fungicide solution has not controlled spread of the fungus, so better control methods are needed.
For more info http://www.ars.usda.gov
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