What is swimming around your roots?

Root rot diseases can cause major problems for hydroponic growers, especially in recirculating systems. Symptoms can easily “explode” and quickly result in major crop loss. Preventative action and early diagnosis are critical to disease management, but proper identification of infection before it is too late can sometimes be difficult. The following example highlights a common production scenario.

by Liza DeGenring, Ryan Dickson, and Anissa Poleatewich

A hydroponic grower noticed that several of their cucumber plants were wilting on a warm and sunny day. The grower increased the frequency of the drip irrigation to water more often, and the next day the plants looked better. One week later, the crop turned for the worse, and many more plants were wilting even with more water. A close look at the substrate revealed that roots were brown and stunted, and a pathology report indicated infection of Pythium root rot.

This e-GRO Alert covers how to diagnose Pythium in your crop and why symptoms have potential to “explode” in recirculating hydroponic systems. We also discuss actions you can take to reduce root rot problems in your operation.

Click here to read the full Alert.