Crown rot (Rhizoctonia solani)

Symptoms

• Damping-off of carrot seedlings and crown rot later and during storage
• Field symptoms include premature senescence and death of foliage
• Dark brown sunken lesions or cankers near the crown appear and cavity spots on the roots.

Management

• Cultural practices that reduce crown injury and enhance soil drainage and air circulation within the canopy are recommended
• Plant debris from previous crops should be removed before planting carrots
• Carrots should not follow perennial crops such as alfalfa