Brassica Problem

[andycadman]

A friend has just shown me a diseased brassica that has baffled me.

Initially I thought that it was club root. On closer inspection it was not.

The base of the brassica stem was swollen and this followed all the way up the stem. Cell division had gone mad and the skin was bursting all the way up the stem. It was just like an out of control cancer had hit the plant.

Can anyone advise me what it could possibly be as I am totally baffled.

He bought two trays from a garden centre. One tray is growing perfectly normally the other batch was affected as above. The leaves on all plants looked generally Ok.

[opabinia51]

Is the flesh rotting?

[andycadman]

No the flesh is not rotting.

The leaves were quite healthy under the circumstances.

It just seems possibly cell division is out of control in the main stem bursting the out epidemal layer in weaker places.

I have not seen brassicas like this before.

Can anyone advise what the problem is?