Ecotain diseases | Pasture

DISEASES OF PLANTAIN

Ramularia Leaf Spot

Cause: Fungus – Ramularia rhabdospora

Control and Management: This disease is commonly located on older, lower leaves in plantain stands and in mixed pastures with plantain. Timely grazing is the primary management

Powdery Mildew

Cause: Fungus Erysiphe sordida

Control and Management: Choose tolerant cultivars, timely grazing of stands is probably all that can be done to save the nutritional value of infected plants

Cercospora Leaf Spot

Cause: Fungus -Cercospora pantoleuca

Control and Management: The disease appears to be of minor importance, infecting older leaves. Timely grazing

Crown and Root Rots

Cause: Phoma exigua and Pythium species. spp.

Control and Management: These are pathogens of plant wounds so the only control is to minimise crown damage by not overgrazing or grazing in wet conditions

DISEASES OF CHICORY

Leaf Rust

Cause: The fungus – Puccinia hieracii var. hieracii

Control and Management: Timely grazing

Sclerotinia Soft Rot

Cause: The fungi Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and S. minor

Control and Management: If Sclerotinia diseases are noted to increase in successive seasons, avoid planting susceptible crops or replanting in chicory for a few years (4-5) to allow the degradation of sclerotia in the soil. Avoid high humidity in the stands by judicious grazing and avoiding the overuse of irrigation

Anthracnose

Cause: The fungus - Microdochium panattonianium = Marssonina panattoniana

Control and Management: Choose tolerant cultivars such as Choice chicory once the disease has been identified in a stand, judicious grazing management can be used to minimise loss through utilisation of diseased tissue and minimising humidity within the stand

Fusarium Wilt

Cause:The fungus Fusarium oxysporum

Control and Management: This disease has been recorded in several locations in the North Island where it has caused stand deterioration. Once the stand has lost plant numbers to a non-viable level it should be rotated into pasture for as long as possible