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Meadows & Prairies

Disease of Maximillian Sunflower

17 years ago

Hello experts! I had the same problem last year and chalked it up to shedding of old leaves, but now that I had to take a required class 'Plant Problem Diagnosis' spring quarter, my tune has changed!

Looks to me like a possible Verticillium Wilt AND a bacterial disease at the same time. Symptoms are working there way up the plant...eventually all the leaves completely dry up, yet odd that the stems do not wilt as they should with Verticillium or Fusarium Wilt and I cannot find any discoloration in the cross-section of stems. May just be a bacterial disease showing 2 types of symptoms? Pretty dilegent about removing diseased leaves and so it never completely reaches the top half. IF it really were a Wilt, picking off infected leaves could not possibly stop vascular system from being blocked and wilting the stems.

What bacterial disease usually affect Max? Here are some pics.

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Thanks

Vera

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Comments (3)

Vera_EWASH
Original Author
17 years ago
I take it no one has had this problem? It's not devestating the plants or nothing, looks a little ratty below though....Just trying to put a name to it to figure out how to deal with it.

Vera
ahughes798
17 years ago
My NE asters all have this going on with them this year. some of my Boltonia Asteroides, too. It has been very hot and dry since late May, early June. In my case, I think it's the weather and lack of rainfall...it could also be a fungal disease. I sprayed garden sulphur on them as a precaution, and it seemed to help, but I can't really tell since we also got a small bit of rain, too. I don't think it's aster yellows. Aster Yellows kills the plant. And there is no know cure for it, either. April
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Vera_EWASH
Original Author
17 years ago
Hello April,
Thanks for the reply
Bacterial spots are angular and often with yellow halos. It looks like however that I may have 2 types going on here..a fungal and a bacterial. The leaves with the V type spots look simular to Verticillium Wilt (soil born fungal disease) and the other a bacterial type of some sort. I have them in 3 spots in my yard and all are affected. Arghhhh!

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