Fungi and nematodes
After planting, several soilborne diseases and pests may appear quickly and severely. In this situation, the infestation may have occurred in the nursery. For example, plants severely attacked by Botrytis cinerea when poorly sorted for transplanting, develop collar cankers during their recovery (figure 1). These infections occur more frequently after transplanting.
Rhizoctonia solani and T. basicola that are spread in many soils (figure 2), and some nematodes of the genera Pratylenchus(figure 3) and Meloidogyne (figure 4), infect the plants fairly quickly. They cause important damage in heavily infested soils.
For more information on these pests and protection methods, please consult the appropriate fact sheets on: Botrytis cinerea, T. basicola, Pratylenchus spp. and Meloidogyne spp.