Cucumis and Cucurbita species Disease Descriptions - Charcoal Rot
Charcoal Rot Symptoms
Charcoal Rot (fungus - Macrophomina phaseolina): Symptoms
resemble those of gummy-stem blight and other vine diseases of
melons. First symptoms are dying of leaves close to the crown.
As the disease progresses, entire runners wilt and die. Close
observation of the crown will reveal brown cankers on the stems
both below and above the soil line. Black, hard bodies produced
by the fungus, known as sclerotia, are found on the surface of
the cankers. Crop rotation may be of limited use since the
fungus affects a large number of hosts, including corn and grain
sorghum. Dry conditions are normally associated with charcoal
rot.
December 20, 1995
