Onion neck rot is a fungal disease that affects the neck of the plant, leading to rotting of the bulbs and reducing their quality. This article from the “WORLD OF PLANTS” website discusses appropriate prevention and control methods.
Causes of onion neck rot
- Disease name: Onion neck rot
- Scientific name: Botrytis alli
- Type of disease: fungal
- Disease family: Sclerotiniaceae
The fungus lives in the soil in the form of sclerotia or on crop residues, where it infects onion leaves and flower stands through mechanical wounds or wounds caused by insects.
Symptoms of onion neck rot
The initial symptoms of infection appear on the cortical tissue, which becomes sunken and soft. The tissue develops a gray to greenish-gray substance between the onion peels due to the formation of fungal mycelium. Sometimes solid black bodies form around the neck of the onion, and an unpleasant sulfurous odor often emerges from the infected plant.
Development cycle of onion neck rot disease
The infection is transmitted through seeds, as the fungus is produced from contaminated seeds. It can also be spread further by wind, which enters plants through wounds or damaged tissue.
Conditions suitable for the spread of onion neck rot disease
The fungus needs humid weather and temperatures ranging between 15-20 degrees Celsius, which are the ideal conditions for spores to mature and spread on the plant and in the soil.
Losses resulting from the spread of onion neck rot disease
The disease is most common on bulbs after harvest, causing significant losses in crop quality and quantity.
Controlling onion neck rot disease
- Organic control: Stop watering as the harvest time approaches to allow the neck of the onion to dry and avoid wounding the plant during harvest. Onions can be treated with hot air at a temperature ranging between (27-35 degrees Celsius) for a few days at the beginning of the storage period.
- Chemical control: Using fungicides containing chlorothalonil during the season, especially before harvest, reduces the incidence of onion neck rot.
Preventive measures for onion neck rot
- Use disease-resistant varieties.
- Avoid using nitrogen fertilizers after the middle of the month7.
- Rotate the onion crop in the infected soil for 3 years.
- Removing plant residues and harmful weeds in the crop.
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Sources:
Neck Rot – Utah State University
Neck Rot – Onions – crop science
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