Plant Diseases—What To Look for in the
Soil and on Your Plants
Identifying plant diseases is extremely difficult. In some cases, only laboratory analysis can conclusively identify some diseases.
Disease organisms injure plants in several ways.
Some attack leaf surfaces and limit the plant's ability to carry on photosynthesis.
Other organisms produce substances that clog plant tissues that transport water and nutrients.
Other disease organisms produce toxins that kill the plant or replace plant tissue with their own.
Some Plant Disease Symptoms
Symptoms associated with plant diseases may include:
- the presence of mushroom-like growths on trunks of trees
- leaves with a grayish mildewy appearance
- spots on leaves, flowers, and fruits
- sudden wilting or death of a plant or branch
- sap exuding from branches or trunks of trees
- stunted growth
Problems That Look Like Plant Diseases
Misapplication of pesticides and nutrients, air pollutants, and other environmental conditions such as flooding and freezing can also mimic some disease problems.
Yellowing or reddening of leaves and stunted growth may indicate a nutritional problem.
Leaf curling or misshapen growth may be a result of herbicide application.
At first glance, blossom end rot of tomato, in which the bottom of a tomato turns black, might appear to be a disease caused by some pathogen. It's caused by the plant's inability to take up calcium quickly enough during periods of rapid growth.
Prevent this problem with adequate moisture. Adding more calcium is of no benefit!
Parts of this article are courtesy of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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