Carrot Diseases

Fungal

Alternaria Leaf Blight - Alternaria dauci Cercospora Leaf Blight - Cercospora carotae Pythium Root Dieback - Pythium spp. Crater Rot - Rhizoctonia carotae White Mold (Cottony Soft Rot) - Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Nematode Phytoplasma

Root Knot - Meloidogyne spp.

Aster Yellows

Alternaria Leaf Blight

Alternaria Leaf Blight

Cercospora Leaf Blight

Cercospora Leaf Blight

Carrot Diseases - Alternaria and Cercospora Leaf Blight - Key Points

Pathogens: Cercospora carotae Alternaria dauci Distribution both common in the temperate zone Cercospora more readily attacks young leaves Alternaria more readily attacks mature tissue Symptoms: leaf symptoms similar but Alternaria leaf spots more irregular, darker brown than Cercospora with both, lesions can girdle petiole, cause death of entire leaf Transmission: both pathogens can be disseminated in or on the seed spores of both disseminated by wind and splashing rain both overwinter in infected debris in soil, weed hosts

Carrot Diseases - Alternaria and Cercospora Leaf Blight - Control Strategies

Use seed produced in arid regions of the country Fall plowing with a 2-3 year rotation

Use currently registered fungicides

Resistant varieties (both Alternaria and Cercospora)

Caropak Choctaw Danvers 126

Huron Orlando Gold Seminole

Pythium

Pythium

Pythium

Carrot Diseases - Pythium Root Dieback Key Points

Symptoms:

wilting or stunting of top growth (due to vascular disruption of roots) forking of roots due to root tip dieback, unacceptable for processing

More serious in high organic soils (muck) Various species of Pythium are implicated in this disease

Carrot Diseases - Pythium Root Dieback Control Strategies

Rotation - at least three years without carrots Avoid wet soils early in season

Crater Rot

Carrot Diseases - Crater Rot Key Points

Pathogen: Rhizoctonia carotae Losses can reach serious proportions in cold storage under high relative humidity Initial symptoms are small white hyphal knots Small pits follow, which then enlarge into sunken craters

Carrot Diseases - Crater Rot Control Strategies

Any practice that hastens the drying of the top soil, such as cultivation, weed control and wide rows, should be practiced Prompt lowering of the storage temperature to near 32 F is important Store roots at relative humidity below 95% Do not reuse crates unless they have been steamed or dipped in an acceptable chemical disinfestant

White Mold

Carrot Diseases - White Mold Key Points

Pathogen: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Fungus with very wide host range Disease also called "Cottony Soft Rot" Overwinters in the soil as sclerotia Field infection is the most common, but infection in storage

can occur due to contaminated crates or other storage

containers/structures

Sclerotinia is a cool temperature pathogen, infecting primarily

at temperatures of 55-65 F

Carrot Diseases - White Mold Control Strategies

Three year rotations using cereals and forage grasses Storage crates and facilities should be disinfested Storage temperature should be near 32 degrees F with a relative humidity of 95% or below

Root Knot Nematode

Root Knot Nematode

Carrot Diseases - Root-Knot Nematode Key Points

Pathogen: Meloidogyne spp. This nematode is present in all parts of the world and can infect every vegetable The pathogen stimulates the root tissue causing giant cells to form which account for the galls seen on the roots Attacks by the nematode just behind the growing tip of the root cause excessive branching of the roots Infection seldom kills the host plant, but wilting, poor root

quality and poor yields may result

Carrot Diseases - Root-Knot Nematode Control Strategies

Fallow cultivation may help Rotate with corn, grasses and small grains Chemical fumigation, if permitted (not practical for the home gardener) Rotation with other resistant varieties of vegetables such as Beefmaster, Better Bush, Empire, Celebrity, etc. tomatoes*

*See UWEX Publication A3110 for other resistant tomato varieties

Aster Yellows

Aster Yellows

Aster Yellows

Aster Yellows

Carrot Diseases - Aster Yellows Key Points

Pathogen: Aster yellows phytoplasma Wide host range - at least 300 species in 48 families. Vegetable hosts include: carrot, lettuce, escarole, endive and celery Leafhopper transmitted Symptoms yellowing and bronzing of foliage brooming of leaf tissue emerging from crown of plant hairy roots and internal root necrosis Overwintering: perennial weeds and ornamentals insect vector on grasses or grain crops leafhopper vectors from southern US carried north by wind

Carrot Diseases - Aster Yellows Control Strategies

Eradicate overwintering weed and ornamental plants

Do not plant adjacent to other plants which are diseased Plant as far as possible from grain and grass crops Regular insecticide program to reduce leafhopper population No resistant or immune varieties as yet