Well my lettuce has been doing really well so far until I noticed last night that one plant was one death's door. You can see that the newest growth looks rather wilted (the plant nearest to the camera). I took a look at the stem and it looks rotted, kind of an orangish brown color. Anyone have any ideas?
Sorry my pictures are a bit difficult to see. Sunset pictures make it tough to see whats going on.
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wisconsindead
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Whats killing my lettuce? - Wilting
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applestar
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If the brown part goes all the way through, that plant us probably done. But you may still be able to harvest it to eat if it hasn't wilted too much already. Cut all the way across above the spoiled part with a sharp knife, wash gently and submerge in ice water (non-metallic deep bowl, bucket or tub of water with ice cubes)
The original damage may have been caused by slugs, which invited oxidation and spoilage.
The original damage may have been caused by slugs, which invited oxidation and spoilage.
I suspect it is crown rot, a fungal disease.
Mature lettuce: Lettuce plants near maturity may appear healthy but develop crown rot close to harvest. Diseased plants will start to wilt, lower leaves turn yellow then brown, and the entire plant will collapse. Examination of the crown will show extensive gray sporulation and the soft, orange-brown decay. Such plants likely were infected earlier in the season and collapsed when the pathogen rotted a significant portion of the lettuce crown.
Disease factors: Botrytis crown rot affects all types of lettuce: iceberg, butterhead, green leaf, red leaf, romaine. Botrytis cinerea most readily infects lettuce tissues that are damaged and exposed to moist, wet conditions. For this reason, Botrytis crown rot is most commonly seen on transplanted lettuce. The process of transplanting lettuce results in unavoidable, minor cracks and injuries to the transplant. If B. cinerea inoculum is lacking, such injuries are incidental and cause little concern. However, if the fungus is present then such wounds allow the pathogen to readily invade and colonize the plant crown. Because spring and early summer romaine is often transplanted, most Botrytis crown rot cases in 2011 involved romaine.
Mature lettuce: Lettuce plants near maturity may appear healthy but develop crown rot close to harvest. Diseased plants will start to wilt, lower leaves turn yellow then brown, and the entire plant will collapse. Examination of the crown will show extensive gray sporulation and the soft, orange-brown decay. Such plants likely were infected earlier in the season and collapsed when the pathogen rotted a significant portion of the lettuce crown.
Disease factors: Botrytis crown rot affects all types of lettuce: iceberg, butterhead, green leaf, red leaf, romaine. Botrytis cinerea most readily infects lettuce tissues that are damaged and exposed to moist, wet conditions. For this reason, Botrytis crown rot is most commonly seen on transplanted lettuce. The process of transplanting lettuce results in unavoidable, minor cracks and injuries to the transplant. If B. cinerea inoculum is lacking, such injuries are incidental and cause little concern. However, if the fungus is present then such wounds allow the pathogen to readily invade and colonize the plant crown. Because spring and early summer romaine is often transplanted, most Botrytis crown rot cases in 2011 involved romaine.
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wisconsindead
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