What are the latest control measures for spinach stem rot?

During the spinach cultivation process, due to improper cultivation management, spinach is susceptible to infection by diseases, and stem rot is one of them. It not only affects the quality of spinach but also causes reduced yield, which is extremely troublesome. So how should spinach stem rot be controlled? Follow the editor to learn about it.

1. Damage symptoms

Spinach stem rot mainly harms the seed-bearing plant. In the early stage of the disease, spindle-shaped or irregular gray lesions of varying sizes form on the stem. The edges of the lesions are dark brown, and many small black spots also appear on the lesions. When the disease is severe, the lesions encircle the stem, causing the leaves above the diseased part to wilt and droop. The cortex of the roots of diseased plants is mostly rotted, and in severe cases the plants wither and die.

2. Transmission routes

The pathogen of spinach stem rot overwinters as mycelium and pycnidia with diseased residues in the soil, or as mycelium and conidia on seeds. After the plant becomes diseased, it first invades seedlings to form black-foot seedlings. The pycnidia produced in the diseased part release conidia, which then spread in the field by wind and rain or irrigation, causing secondary infection. It begins to infect old leaves, and at harvest it invades the roots to form black rot. At harvest, if the top leaves are cut too low or the plants are cut along the base of the petioles, the wounds created can also give the pathogen an opportunity, and may cause rot during storage.

3. Control methods

1) Agricultural control

First, select disease-free spinach seeds. When necessary, they can be disinfected by soaking in warm water for one hour, and the sowing rate should be appropriately increased. Seeds propagated from diseased roots also have a high disease-carrying rate, so disease-free mother roots must be selected. Adding an appropriate amount of borax to the base fertilizer can significantly improve disease resistance.

2) Chemical control

In the early stage of the disease, spray with a mixture of dodecylguanidine octylbenzenesulfonate, chlorothalonil, azoxystrobin, copper hydroxide, cuprous oxide, and famoxadone diluted with water. Depending on the disease severity, spray once every 7-10 days for 2-3 consecutive times, and the control effect is relatively good.

The above is an introduction to the control measures for spinach stem rot. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.