1. Plant Health Management for Backyard Strawberry Plantings

2. Prepared by
Mike Ellis Professor and Extension Specialist and Omer Erincik Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Plant Pathology The Ohio State University OARDC/OSUE Wooster, OH, 44691

3. Common Diseases on Fruit
Gray mold (Botrytis fruit rot)
Leather rot
Pathogen: Botrytis cinerea
Pathogen: Phytophthora cactorum

4. Gray mold
Symptoms:
gray, dusty-looking fungal growth on ripening berries
Early (left) and late (right) stages of botrytis fruit rot on strawberry.

5. Gray mold Disease Development: Most infections occur during bloom.
The fungus can infect petals, flower stalks, fruit caps, and fruit.
The disease is favored by wet conditions, such as rain, dew, or sprinkler irrigation.
The disease is generally most severe
in shaded areas where humidity is higher and air movement is poor
on berries touching the soil

6. Leather rot
Symptoms:
On green fruit, brown, firm spots develop. The entire berry may be discolored (brown).
On ripe fruit, light to dark purple or brown areas develop. These areas are generally dull in color.
Infected fruit have a distinctive bitter taste and unpleasant odor.

7. Leather rot Disease Development:
The fungus can infect berries at any stage of development.
Disease can develop very quickly during wet conditions.
a wet period of two hours is sufficient for infection.
Fungus spores are spread by splashing or wind-blown water from rain or overhead irrigation.
the disease is most severe
in poorly drained areas
in places where berries are in contact with the soil

8. Management of fruit rot diseases
Free water (wet conditions) is required for most fungal pathogens to infect fruit. Any practice that promotes faster drying of fruit and foliage is beneficial for disease control.

9. Management of fruit rot diseases
Site selection
Select a site with good air movement and sun exposure (promote faster drying).
Canopy control
Control timing and amount of nitrogen fertilizer to prevent excessive growth.
Control weeds
weeds decrease air circulation.
controlling weeds promotes faster drying of fruit and foliage.
Mulch
Use a layer of straw mulch to create a barrier between fruit and soil.

10. Management of fruit rot diseases
Irrigation
Irrigate early in the day, so plants dry faster.
Handling
Pick fruit carefully, avoid bruising
Process and or refrigerate fruit immediately after harvest.
Renovation
Remove old leaves and diseased plant parts after harvest.

11. Common diseases on leaves
Leaf spot
Leaf scorch
Leaf blight

12. Symptoms of leaf diseases
Leaf spot
Small reddish purple spots develop with tan to grayish white centers surrounded by a purple margin.
Leaf scorch
Round to angular or irregular dark purple spots or blotches developed.
Eventually the entire leaf may turn red.
Leaf blight
Spots are initially reddish-purple,
Later they develop a darker brown or reddish-brown center surrounded with a purple border.

13. Strawberry leaf diseases
Disease Development:
Leaf spot
Pathogen: Mycosphaerella fragariae
Infection may occur throughout the growing season.
Leaf scorch
Pathogen: Diplocarpon earliana
Infection may occur throughout the growing season.
Leaf blight
Pathogen: Phomopsis obscurans
Disease is found most commonly on plants after harvest.

14. Management of strawberry leaf diseases
Use disease free planting stock
Use resistant varieties
Proper site selection
Choose a site with good air circulation and sun exposure (promotes faster drying).
Weed control
Weeds decrease air circulation.
Controlling weeds reduces drying time of the plants.
Remove old foliage just after harvest (renovation)
helps to reduce pathogen populations.

15. Common Diseases Attacking Roots
Verticillium wilt
Red stele
Black root rot

16. Verticillium wilt Symptoms:
Older leaves turn brown or reddish yellow at the edges, then turn entirely brown and collapse.
Roots have areas of dark brown decay.

17. Verticillium wilt Disease Development:
Caused by the soil borne fungus Verticillium albo-atrum
The fungus can be introduced into uninfested soil on seed, tools, garden machinery and roots of transplants.
The fungus can survive in soil for many years.
Favored by cool, overcast weather interspersed with warm days.

18. Red stele
Symptoms:
Many roots may have a rattail appearance, with few or no lateral roots.
When infected roots are split, the center core (stele) is brownish or red.
healthy
diseased

19. Red stele Disease development: caused by a soil borne fungus,
Phytophthora fragariae
favored by high soil moisture (saturated soil) and cool temperature.
most destructive in heavy clay soils that are saturated with water during cool weather.

20. Black root rot Symptoms: Plants are stunded
Roots show areas of brown to black discoloration.
Eventually, all or part of the main root system is black and dead.

21. Black root rot Disease Development:
The disease has been associated with several factors, and is not clearly understood.
One or more of the following factors has been associated with the disease:
soil fungi, nematodes, winter injury, fertilizer burn, soil compaction, herbicide damage, drought stress, excessive water, improper soil pH.
Probably not caused by any single factor. Considered to be a “Disease Complex”.

22. Management of root diseases
Use healthy planting stock
Use resistant varieties
Proper site selection
Plant in well-drained soil
Select a site that does not have a previous history of problems with any of the root diseases.
Rotation
Do not replant strawberries where disease has been a problem for at least 2 years.
Control weeds

23. Using Fungicides For Strawberry Disease Control
Fungicides can be important in commercial strawberry plantings; however, fungicides are generally not recommended for backyard “strawberry” production.
Effective fungicides registered for use on strawberry are usually very difficult or impossible for backyard growers to obtain.
If not used properly, they are generally not effective.

24. For backyard growers that do wish to use fungicides in the disease management program, fungicide recommendations are available in Bulletin 780 “Controlling Disease and insects In Home Fruit Planting”.

25. Emphasis for disease control in backyard strawberry plantings should be placed on:
Use of the various cultural practices for disease control mentioned previously.
Use of disease resistant varieties.

26. The most effective method for controlling most strawberry diseases is the use of varieties with good disease resistance.

27. Several strawberry varieties have resistance to many of the common strawberry diseases. The following are some common varieties with multiple disease resistance.

28. Bulletin 591. “Growing and Using Fruit at Home”
Selected literatures for backyard fruit production and plant health management:
Bulletin 591. “Growing and Using Fruit at Home”
Bulletin 780. “Controlling Diseases and Insects in Home Fruit Planting”
Bulletin 861. “Midwest Small Fruit Pest Management Handbook”.
These can be obtained through your county extension agent or the Extension Publications Office, The Ohio State University, 385 Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, Ohio,

29. To get more information about plant diseases visit the websites below.
state.edu/~plantdoc/extension.php