Cause Pythium spp. and Rhizoctonia solani are soil-infesting microbes that can build up rapidly and attack young germinating seedlings when soil is moist.
Symptoms Stems are attacked as young plants emerge. Plants wilt, fall over, and die. Germinating seed also can be attacked, rotting plants before they reach the soil surface.
Cultural control
- Manage the crop to promote rapid and vigorous seedling growth.
- Do not overwater as wet soils promote Pythium disease.
Chemical control
- Use seed treatments.
- Allegiance-FL at 0.1 to 0.75 fl oz/100 lb seed plus a dye. Controls Pythium spp. only. See label for reentry restrictions.
- Captan 4F at 12 fl oz/100 lb seed plus a dye.
- Dynasty at 0.1 to 0.38 fl oz/100 lb seed plus a dye. 4-hr reentry.
- Maxim 4FS at 0.08 to 0.16 fl oz/100 lb seed plus a dye. Controls Fusarium and Rhizoctonia spp. See label for reentry restrictions.
- MetaStar 2E AG at 4 to 8 pints/A as a preplant or at planting treatment. Controls Pythium spp. 48-hr reentry.
- 42-S Thiram at 8 fl oz/100 lb seed plus a dye. See label for reentry restrictions.
- C-O-C-S WDG at 4 lb/100 gal water or at 2 oz/3 gal water. Can be re-applied on a minimum of 3-day intervals. Do not apply through any irrigation system. 48-hr reentry; 24-hr reentry for greenhouse applications.
- Quadris at 0.4 to 0.8 fl oz/1000 row feet applied in a 7-inches or less band either in-furrow at planting or as a directed spray at cultivation for Rhizoctonia. 4-hr reentry.
- Ridomil Gold SL at 1 to 2 pints/A as a soil spray (broadcast or banded) if Pythium spp. are a problem. Incorporate 2-inches deep when used. 48-hr reentry.
Biological control
- Actinovate AG at 3 to 12 oz/A as a soil drench at planting. 4-hr reentry. O
- Actinovate Lawn & Garden at 0.5 to 1 teaspoon/gal water. H O
- Bexfond at 7 to 14 fl oz/A. O
- Double Nickel LC at 0.5 to 4.5 pints/A as a soil drench at planting. 4-hr reentry. O
- Rootshield WP at 3 to 5 oz/100 gal water for greenhouse soil drench and field chemigation or at 16 to 32 oz/A as an in-furrow spray. 4-hr reentry. O
- SoilGard at 0.5 to 10 lb/A at 4-week intervals will suppress Pythium and Rhizoctonia. See label for specific application types and timings. Can be applied on the day of harvest. 4-hr reentry. O