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Root rot

Disease in plants

Root rot

Summary

Disease in plants

Chickpea with root rot
Cicer arietinum]]'') with root rot. Note the symptomatic discolouration in some of its leaves.

Root rot is a condition in which anoxic conditions in the soil or potting media around the roots of a plant cause them to rot. This occurs due to excessive standing water around the roots.- Hydroponics Root Rot: What is It, How To Treat It, How to Prevent It Origin Hydroponics. June 2, 2018

To avoid root rot, it is best to only water plants when the soil becomes dry, and to put the plant in a well-drained pot. Using a dense potting media such as one dug up from outdoors can also cause root rot. Plants from different environments have different tolerances for soil moisture: plants evolved for desert conditions will experience root rot at lower moisture levels than plants evolved for tropical conditions. In both indoor and outdoor plants, it can be lethal and there is no effective treatment, though some plants can be propagated so they will not be lost completely.

Many cases of root rot are caused by members of the water mold genus Phytophthora; perhaps the most aggressive is P. cinnamomi. Spores from root rot causing agents do contaminate other plants, but the rot cannot take hold unless there is adequate moisture. Spores are not only airborne, but are also carried by insects and other arthropods in the soil. It can be controlled by drenching carbendazim.

Hydroponics

Root rot can occur in hydroponic applications if the water is not properly aerated. This is usually accomplished by use of an air pump, air stones, air diffusers and by adjustment of the frequency and length of watering cycles where applicable. Hydroponic air pumps function in much the same way as aquarium pumps, which are used for the same purpose. Root rot and other problems associated with poor water aeration were principal reasons for the development of aeroponics.

Particular diseases

Some particular pathogens infect plants and causes root rot. Such pathogens are listed:

  • Armillaria causes Armillaria root rot or white rot root disease
  • Phellinius noxius
  • Rhododendron root rot
  • Shoestring root rot
  • Texas root rot
  • Rosellinia necatrix aka Dematophora necatrix
  • Scytinostroma galactinum aka Corticium galactinum
  • Phytophthora – see Phytophthora cinnamomi for discussion on treatment
  • Basidiomycete fungi are wide-spread saprophytes and afflicts Acacia plants with root rot.
  • Ganoderma spp.
  • Phytophthora cinnamomi

References

References

  1. Old, K. M., See, L. S., Sharma, J. K., & Yuan, Z. Q. (2000). ROOT ROT. In ''A Manual of Diseases of Tropical Acacias in Australia, South-East Asia and India'' (pp. 88). Center for International Forestry Research. http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep02154.21
  2. Old, K. M., See, L. S., Sharma, J. K., & Yuan, Z. Q. (2000). ROOT ROT. In ''A Manual of Diseases of Tropical Acacias in Australia, South-East Asia and India'' (pp. 89). Center for International Forestry Research. http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep02154.21
  3. (April 12, 2023). "Arrive Clean, Leave Clean".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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