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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #397216
Research Project: Disease Management in Small Fruit and Nursery Crops Based on Knowledge of Pathogen Diversity, Biology, and Environmental Effects

Location: Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit

Title: Don't get burned by charcoal rot

Author
item Weiland, Gerald - Jerry

Submitted to: The Digger
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/4/2022
Publication Date: 11/1/2022
Citation: Weiland, J.E. 2022. Don't get burned by charcoal rot. The Digger. 66(11):41-44.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Charcoal rot is a plant disease caused by the fungus, Macrophomina phaseolina. The disease is usually worse in warm and dry weather and can affect well over 500 plant species. In the past few years, charcoal rot has been increasingly found on landscape specimens of hebe (Veronica species from the section Hebe) in the Willamette Valley of western Oregon. It is likely that this disease was spread through plant trade as nine of the plants with charcoal rot originated from the same nursery. The disease is likely to become more prevalent over time as summers in the Pacific Northwest become hotter and drier. Prevention and sanitation are key for managing charcoal rot in nurseries, and include inspecting incoming nursery stock for disease, and using new potting media and containers during plant production.