Parsley Root Rot

Soil-borne Pythium and Phytophthora fungi



Host Plants:

On Crops: Parsley

Where Found:

Cool temperate climates where parsley is winter hardy

Description:

Plants grow normally until a late summer or early fall, when individual plants wilt and then collapse following a period of heavy rain. If you pull the plant it will break off at the crown, and the crown will have a tan, corky appearance. Individual plants may fail, while others nearby continue to look healthy. Established plants being grown though winter may die at any time from root rot.

Damage:

The fungi invade the plant’s roots and crown, causing the plant to clog up and fail. Infected plants are inedible.

Preventing Problems:

Rotate where you grow parsley, and consider using raised beds to enhance drainage. These fungi need very wet soil conditions to grow, so keeping parsley covered with a plastic tunnel through winter often prevents problems.

Managing Outbreaks:

Pull up affected plants and compost them. Place a pile of compost on the spots where the diseased plants grew.

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