Vegetables HORTICULTURAL

MU Guide
PUBLISHED BY MU EXTENSION, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/

Disease Prevention in Home Vegetable Gardens

Patricia Donald, Department of Plant Microbiology and Pathology Lewis Jett, Department of Horticulture Vegetable gardening is the number one hobby in the United States. Keeping a garden healthy and attractive requires attention not only to its size and location but also to the soil, water availability, sunlight and air circulation in the garden. These environmental conditions can determine susceptibility to plant diseases. Diseased plants are unsightly and also detract from the enjoyment and fruits of the hobby. Diseases affect home garden vegetable plants every year. Plant pathogens become established when environmental conditions are favorable. Losses due to disease can be reduced through a combination of proven disease-prevention methods: Select adapted, disease-resistant varieties. Use transplants that are free from disease. Plant closely related vegetables in separate areas of the garden (see Table 1). Rotate garden areas to prevent planting closely related vegetables in the same area year after year. Control weeds that compete with vegetables or harbor plant pathogens. Control insects that may carry disease. Remove and destroy diseased plant material. Remove plant refuse soon after harvest. Disinfect garden tools and shears. Apply fungicides appropriately and in a timely manner when resistant varieties are not available. Maintain a balanced soil fertility program. In addition to diseases caused by pathogens, many nonparasitic disorders cause serious problems in vegetable production. The following disorders may mimic symptoms caused by pathogens: extremes in temperature, extremes in moisture, extremes in one or
Table 1. Vegetable families susceptible to similar diseases. Cucumber Cabbage Tomato Tomato, Potato, Pepper (all types), Eggplant Beet Beets, Spinach, Swiss chard Bean Beans, Snow peas, Southern peas, English peas Onion Onions, Shallots, Garlic, Leek Corn Sweet corn

more nutrients, and herbicide misapplication or carryover. These disorders will not respond to the use of chemicals aimed at plant pathogens and can make conditions more favorable for disease development.

Getting started
Sanitation
Many plant pathogens survive through the winter in old plants and plant debris remaining in the garden. Removal of the plant material will reduce the chance of certain diseases increasing over years. It also reduces the chance that healthy plants will become infested early in the season. Some plant diseases would naturally occur late in the season and not be a problem on older plants. These same diseases can be devastating on young plants if pathogens are present early in the season. Debris from diseased plants should not be added to a compost pile, because the temperatures reached in the pile often are not sufficient to kill the pathogens. See MU publication G 6956, Making and Using Compost. Burying the plant debris outside the garden will reduce the chance of spreading a disease from debris to plants currently in the garden or to plants that will be in the garden the next year. Some pathogens such as the wilt fungi survive in the soil for many years, and prevention is the best way to manage these diseases. In addition to removing plant material from the garden, it is important to remove, destroy or disinfest support structures such as wooden stakes and poles used in the garden. Garden tools can be disinfested by washing them

Cucumber, Watermelon, Cabbage, Cauliower, Squash, Cantaloupe, Brussels sprouts, Pumpkin, Gourds Broccoli, Mustard, Turnips, Collards

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with detergent. Washing will remove soil and adhering fungi or bacteria, and the detergent will remove some of the virus from the tools and inactivate any remaining virus. Clean seeds and transplants help reduce the chance of introducing plant pathogens into the garden. Do not save seed if disease is present in the garden. Whether growing your own transplants or purchasing them, transplants should be carefully inspected for abnormal growth above and below ground. Reject multipaks of transplants if several cells do not have plants or contain dead plants. Inspect transplants for insect damage on the leaf surface or insects on the lower leaf surface. If growing your own transplants, purchase steam-sterilized growth medium. Disinfest flats with bleach or use new plastic containers. Certain plant pathogens can grow on weeds and spread to garden plants. For example, aster yellows phytoplasma can be spread from dandilions to carrots by the aster leafhopper. Additionally, some weeds attract insects that transmit diseases. This is especially true of viral diseases.

Physical practices
Plastic sheeting and organic mulch provide a physical barrier between soil and plant surfaces and reduce the amount of disease inoculum splashed onto foliage, stems and fruits during rainy periods.

Staking and trellising

To reduce the incidence of fruit rot in the garden, keep the fruit as far away from the soil as possible. Staking or trellising are especially effective with tomatoes. Sunburn can also be avoided if plants are grown in such a way that the leaves shade the fruit.

Solarization
Soil solarization is a nonchemical way to rid the garden of soil-borne plant pathogens. Solarization uses energy from the sun to heat the soil causing physical, chemical and biological changes in the soil. The process is most effective in mid to late summer, when high air temperatures combine with high radiation from the sun. The elevated temperature and toxic products generated from solarization kill or suppress plant pathogens and weed seed. It is believed that beneficial organisms are harmed less by solarization than by fumigation. Solarization also stimulates release of nutrients from organic matter present in the soil. The biggest disadvantage to this method is that the area treated must be out of production for most of the growing season. Soil to be solarized should be tilled so that the soil is as uniform as possible (free of clods and plant debris) to prevent pockets of untreated soil. Slight elevation of the treated area will minimize recontamination of treated soil. A raised center of the bed will facilitate rainfall shedding. Water sitting on the plastic reduces the effectiveness of the treatment. Check soil fertility and, if necessary, add fertilizer before beginning solarization. Dry soil should be moistened to a level that is ideal for planting. Wet soil conducts heat better than dry soil and will allow the heat to move deeper in the soil to remove pathogens present in the root zone. Use clear plastic (1 to 6 mils) to cover the soil. Thinner plastic allows better solarization. The plastic needs to be stretched tight over the soil surface and be in contact with the soil. It is important to bury the edges of the plastic to prevent easy removal of the plastic before the soil has been adequately treated. Soil temperatures need to be over 100 F for four to six weeks to reduce soil-borne pathogens. Contaminated plants introduced into the treated soil will undo the effects of solarization. Also mixing of adjacent soil with the treated soil will dilute the benefits of solarization.

Cultural practices
The garden site should be well drained. Waterlogged soil encourages development of root rotting fungi, whereas good drainage promotes good growth of plant roots and thus the entire plant. If soil drainage is marginal, building a raised bed may solve the drainage problems. See MU publication G6985, Raised-Bed Gardening. Plants with the proper available nutrients can withstand environmental stresses and plant pathogen attacks better than plants growing in soil with low fertility or where there is a nutrient imbalance. Plant-parasitic nematodes, especially root-knot, can be a problem in the garden. See MU publication G 6204, Managing Nematodes in Gardens, for symptoms and management of nematode damage. Crop rotation is a good way to manage diseases that attack related plants such as tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants (see Table 1). Moving the location of the related plants within the garden from season to season lessens the chance that plant diseases will build up. This is especially true of pathogens which survive in the soil. A good rule of thumb is to avoid returning to the same area of the garden for at least three years. This will not prevent diseases with longlived resting spores, such as Pythium, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia. Plant at the recommended seeding rate to reduce competition between plants and promote good air circulation and sunlight penetration. Use viable seed with good germination potential. Use seed packaged for the current year. The seed packet should have a date on it.

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Biological practices
Resistant varieties provide one of the best ways to manage plant disease in the garden (see Table 2). Resistance to a disease means that the plant is less likely to show symptoms than susceptible varieties; it does not mean that the plant is immune to that disease. Resistance to one disease does not protect against other diseases. Use of resistant varieties if available is especially recommended when a disease is known to occur in your area. Seed packets and catalogs are good sources of information about diseaseresistant varieties. Be sure to check that the variety with disease resistance is adapted to your area before ordering seed.

After planting: Sanitation

Make a practice of removing diseased plants or plant parts from the garden without delay. It is often more cost-effective to remove plants than to try to bring them back to health. Removal also helps reduce the chance that disease will spread. Look for leaf spots, wilts, stunting, fruit rots, malformed leaves, and cankers. Bury diseased plant material away from the garden; do not place it in a compost pile. Many plant pathogens require moisture to survive and infect plants. Avoid working in the garden when foliage is wet, because this can spread plant pathogens.

Maintain adequate levels of plant nutrients without overfertilizing. Excess nitrogen application can promote some root-rotting fungi. Nutrient stress can make plants more susceptible to diseases and insect damage. Water when the plants are dry to avoid drought stress. Excess water can lead to plant death from lack of oxygen to the roots or because of pathogen attack. Maintain adequate mulch cover to conserve moisture and reduce weed growth. Certain nonparasitic diseases such as blossom end rot can occur when moisture levels to the roots are uneven. Harvest produce at peak maturity. Overripe vegetables will attract insects and other pests. Remove nonbearing and old plants immediately after harvest to prevent accumulation of plant debris in the garden area.

Chemical control
Sometimes resistant varieties are not available and disease occurs in the garden despite all the cultural practices used. Many leaf diseases can be managed by spraying or dusting plants with an effective fungicide. Most fungicides are protectants. They work on the plant surface and protect against infection. They do not eliminate established infections. If disease is not detected early, the plant may die and disease may spread despite fungicide treatment. Some fungicides are systemic and will move in the plant. Some of these have curative properties and will kill infections already established in the plant, but they will not remove the spots already present on the leaves.

During the growing season

Good cultural practices
The following practices will help maintain healthy plants during the growing season:

Table 2. Vegetables with resistance or tolerance to important diseases and nematode pests. Vegetable ASPARAGUS Atlas Greenwich Jersey Knight Jersey Gem Jersey King Jersey Prince Mary Washington UC 157 F2 BEANS Bush, green Contender Derby Hialeah Matador Provider Tendercrop Topcrop Common bean mosaic virus; Powdery mildew Common bean mosaic virus Common bean mosaic virus Common bean mosaic virus; Anthracnose Common bean mosaic virus; Powdery mildew Common bean mosaic virus; Powdery mildew Common bean mosaic virus All cultivars possess rust resistance. All except Mary Washington possess Fusarium wilt resistance. Cultivar Disease resistance/tolerance

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Table 2. Vegetables with resistance or tolerance to important diseases and nematode pests. (Continued) Vegetable Beans, Bush, yellow Goldcrop Goldkist Goldmine Goldrush Beans, Pole BROCCOLI Arcadia BRUSSELS SPROUTS Jade Cross Hybrid CABBAGE Bravo Charmant Golden Acre Market Prize Ruby Perfect Savoy Ace Stonehead CANTALOUPE Ambrosia Athena Eclipse Saticoy Supermarket Superstar CORN, SWEET Yellow, sugar-enhanced Incredible Legend Sugar Ace Tuxedo Bicolor, sugar enhanced Delectable Lancelot Seneca Arrowhead Sweet Chorus Sweet Symphony Temptation White, sugar enhanced Alpine Seneca Sensation Silver King Sweet Ice Yellow, supersweet Endeavor Flagship II Morning Star Saturn Zenith Bicolor, supersweet White, supersweet Candy Store Festival Ice Queen Summer Sweet 781 Vail Downy mildew; Powdery mildew Fusarium wilt; Powdery mildew Fusarium wilt; Powdery mildew Fusarium wilt (race 2); Powdery mildew Fusarium wilt (race 2); Powdery mildew Fusarium wilt (races 1,2) Northern corn leaf blight; Southern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt; Smut; Northern corn leaf blight; Southern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt Stewarts wilt Stewarts wilt Stewarts wilt; Northern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt Stewarts wilt Stewarts wilt; Smut Stewarts wilt; Smut Stewarts wilt Southern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt; Southern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt; Southern corn leaf blight; Smut Northern corn leaf blight; Southern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt; Southern corn leaf blight Northern corn leaf blight; Southern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt Stewarts wilt; Northern corn leaf blight; Southern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt; Smut Northern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt; Northern corn leaf blight; Smut Stewarts wilt; Northern corn leaf blight; Southern corn leaf blight Stewarts wilt; Northern corn leaf blight Black rot; Fusarium yellows Fusarium yellows Bacterial spot Black rot; Fusarium yellows Fusarium yellows Fusarium yellows Black rot; Fusarium yellows Bottom/center rot Bacterial soft rot Kentucky Wonder Blue Lake Cultivar Rust Common bean mosaic virus; Halo blight Common bean mosaic virus Rust Common bean mosaic virus Disease resistance/tolerance Common bean mosaic virus

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Table 2. Vegetables with resistance or tolerance to important diseases and nematode pests. (Continued) Vegetable CUCUMBERS: Slicing County Fair Dasher II General Lee Lightning Poinsett 76 Speedway Thunder Pickling Calypso Carolina Francipak M ALS = Alternaria leaf spot AN = Anthracnose CMV = Cucumber mosaic virus EGGPLANT Black Bell Dusky Epic LETTUCE Esmerelda Ithaca Sangria Sierra Summertime ONION Copra Norstar Sweet Sandwich Hybrid Yellow Sweet Spanish PEAS Shell peas Bolero Green Arrow Knight Lincoln Little Marvel Spring Snap peas Cascadia Oregon Giant Sugar Ann Sugar Bon Super Snappy Southern peas Super Sugar Pod Magnolia Mississippi Pinkeye Mississippi Purple Mississippi Silver Pinkeye Purple Hull BVR (different resistance) Bean yellow mosaic virus; Common wilt; Fusarium wilt; Powdery mildew Fusarium wilt; Downy mildew Bean yellow mosaic virus; Common wilt; Fusarium wilt; Powdery mildew Common wilt Fusarium wilt Fusarium wilt Powdery mildew Powdery mildew; Common wilt Common wilt Powdery mildew Powdery mildew Powdery mildew Tolerance to blackeye cowpea mosaic virus and related viruses. Resistance to root-knot nematodes and Fusarium wilt Fusarium wilt Botrytis; Mildew; Pinkroot; White mold Pinkroot Pinkroot Tipburn Tipburn Tipburn Tipburn Tipburn Tobacco mosaic virus Tobacco mosaic virus Tobacco mosaic virus Bacterial wilt ALS; AN; CMV; Scab; DM; PM CMV; Scab; DM; PM CMV; Scab; PM ALS; AN; Scab; DM; PM ALS; AN; CMV; Scab; DM; PM CMV; Scab; PM; ZYM ALS; AN; CMV; Scab; DM; PM ALS; AN; CMV; Scab; DM; PM ALS; AN; CMV; Scab; DM; PM DM = Downy mildew PM = Powdery mildew Cultivar Disease resistance/tolerance

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Table 2. Vegetables with resistance or tolerance to important diseases and nematode pests. (Continued) Vegetable PEPPER Hot peppers Anaheim TMR 23 Caloro PS Cherry Bomb Delicias Garden Salsa Mesilla Pasilla Bajio Sante Fe Grande Senorita Serrano Chili Super CayenneII Tam Jalapeno #1 Tam Vera Cruz Sweet peppers Bell Boy Big Bertha PS California Doner PS California Wonder 300 Camelot Chocolate Beauty Emerald Giant Enterprise Gator Belle Golden Summer Gypsy Jingle Bells Jupiter Keystone Resistant Giant King Arthur Mayata F1RS Merlin North Star Paladin Peto Wonder Pimento Elite Rampage Red Beauty Sentinel Sunsation X3R Aladin X3R Camelot X3R Wizard POTATO Potato, red Chieftan Dark Red Norland La Rouge Norland Sangre Viking Potato virus A; Scab Leaf roll; Potato virus Y; Potato virus A Scab Scab Early blight Scab Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Tomato etch virus; Potato virus Y; Pepper mottle virus Pepper tobamovirus Tomato etch virus; Potato virus Y; Tabomo Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Tomato etch virus; Potato virus Y; Pepper mottle virus Tomato etch virus; Potato virus Y; Pepper mottle virus Tabomo; Bacterial spot (races 1,2,3) Potato virus Y Tomato etch virus; Potato virus Y Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Bacterial spot (races 1,2,3) Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Bacterial leaf spot; Bacterial spot (races 1,2,3) Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus; Tobacco mosaic virus Tobacco mosaic virus Tobamo; Potato virus Y Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Tobacco mosaic virus; Phytophthora Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Pepper tobamovirus Bacterial spot (races 1,2); Potato virus Y Tobamo; Bacterial spot (races 1,2,3); Potato virus Y Bacterial spot (races 1,2,3); Tobacco mosaic virus Bacterial spot (races 1,2,3); Tobacco mosaic virus Pepper tobamovirus; Bacterial spot (races 1,2,3); Tobacco mosaic virus Cultivar Disease resistance/tolerance

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Table 2. Vegetables with resistance or tolerance to important diseases and nematode pests. (Continued) Vegetable Potato, russet Belrus Centennial Frontier Russet HiLite Russet Krantz Lemhi Russet Norgold Russet Norkin Russet Russet Burbank Potato, white Allegany Atlantic Gemchip Irish Cobble Katahdin Kenebec Monona Norchip Norwis Onaway Sebago Superior Potato, yellow PUMPKIN Howden Jack O Lantern Magic Lantern Merlin SPINACH Decatur Melody Polka Tyee Unipak SQUASH Zucchini Dividend Independence II Revenue Spineless Beauty Yellow straightneck Gen. Patton Liberator III Multipik Yellow crookneck Patty pan types Winter acorn SWEET POTATO Beauregard Centennial Jewel Soil rot; Internal cork Root-knot; Internal cork Root-knot; Fusarium; Internal cork Prelude II Sunburst Taybelle PM Cucumber mosaic virus; Watermelon mosaic virus; Zucchini yellow mosaic virus; Watermelon mosaic virus; Zucchini yellow mosaic virus Cucumber mosaic virus; Watermelon mosaic virus; Zucchini yellow mosaic virus Powdery mildew Powdery mildew Cucumber mosaic virus; Watermelon mosaic virus; Zucchini yellow mosaic virus Cucumber mosaic virus; Watermelon mosaic virus Watermelon mosaic virus; Powdery mildew Cucumber mosaic virus; Watermelon mosaic virus Powdery mildew Downy mildew Downy mildew; Cucumber mosaic virus Downy mildew Downy mildew; Cucumber mosaic virus; Downy mildew Black rot Black rot Powdery mildew Powdery mildew Yukon Gold Cultivar Disease resistance/tolerance Potato virus A; Scab; Leaf roll; Northern root-knot nematode; Potato virus Y; Verticillium wilt Early blight; Rhizoctonia; Verticillium wilt; Fusarium dry rot Fusarium dry rot Scab; Leaf roll; Potato virus X; Potato virus Y Scab; Late blight; Verticillium wilt Scab Scab Scab; Verticillium wilt Scab; Blackleg; Leaf roll; Potato virus A Early blight; Late blight; Verticilium wilt Scab; Potato virus X; Verticillium wilt; Pink eye Verticillium wilt Potato virus A; Wart Potato virus A; Southern bacterial wilt Black leg; Late blight; Potato virus A; Potato virus Y Potato virus A; Scab; Potato virus Y; Verticillium wilt Scab Leaf roll; Potato virus X; Potato virus Y Potato virus A; Scab; Late blight Potato virus A; Early blight; Potato virus X; Potato virus Y; Late blight; Wart; Southern bacterial wilt Scab Potato virus A; Leaf roll

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Table 2. Vegetables with resistance or tolerance to important diseases and nematode pests. (Continued) Vegetable TOMATO Beef Master Better Boy Big Beef Carnival Celebrity Floralina Florida 47 Jet Star Mt. Delight Mt. Fresh Mt. Gold Mt. Pride Mt. Spring Mt. Supreme Pink Girl Spitre AS = Alternaria stem canker BE = Blossom end rot EB = Early blight F12 = Fusarium wilt races 1,2 WATERMELON Seeded Carnival Crimson Sweet Fiesta Mardi Gras Regency Royal Sweet Sangria Star Brite Stars n Stripes Tiger Baby Verona Seedless Constitution Freedom Revolution SummerSweet 5244 SummerSweet 5544 Tri-X 313 Anthracnose; Fusarium wilt (race 1) Anthracnose; Fusarium wilt (race 1) Anthracnose; Fusarium wilt (race 1) Anthracnose; Fusarium wilt (race 1) Fusarium wilt (race 1) Fusarium wilt (race 1) Anthracnose; Fusarium wilt (race 1) Anthracnose; Fusarium wilt (race 1) Anthracnose; Fusarium wilt (race 1) Fusarium wilt (race 1) Anthracnose; Fusarium wilt (race 1) Fusarium wilt (race 1) Fusarium wilt (race 1) Fusarium wilt (race 1) Anthracnose Fusarium wilt (race 1) Anthracnose; Fusarium wilt (race 1) VT; F1; N; AS; M VT; F1; N; AS F12; GL; N; TM; VT; AS; EB F12; GL; N; TM; VT; AS F12; GL; N; TM; VT; AS; F12; GL; VT F12; VT F1; VT F12; VT; BE F12; VT; BE; EB F12; VT; F12; VT; AS; F12; VT; BE; F12; VT; EB F12; GL; VT; AS; F12; GL; VT; EB GL = Gray leaf spot N = Root-knot nematode TM = Tobacco mosaic VT = Verticillium wilt Cultivar Disease resistance/tolerance

For further information

G 6201, Vegetable Planting Calendar G 6220, Organic Gardening Techniques G 6461, Growing Home Garden Tomatoes G 6951, Understanding and Using Garden and Home Grounds Herbicides G 6952, Garden and Home Weed Control
s Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Ronald J. Turner, Director, Cooperative Extension, University of Missouri and Lincoln University, Columbia, MO 65211. s University Outreach and Extension does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or status as a Vietnam era veteran in employment or programs. s If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and need this publication in an alternative format, write ADA Officer, Extension and Agricultural Information, 1-98 Agriculture Building, Columbia, MO 65211, or call (573) 882-7216. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate your special needs.

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Revised 9/00/10M