By Eric Sandy
Hemp Grower
Each summer, farmers working in hot and humid regions may find their crops exposed to a fungus called Sclerotium rolfsii. They may notice lesions on their plants’ stems, chlorosis (yellowing leaves), root decay, crown rot and even an abrupt die-off of the entire crop.
Colloquially, the disease caused by this soil-borne pathogen is known as Southern blight.
“When we say ‘blight,’ blight really means, ‘subject to sudden death,’” says Nicole Gauthier, an extension specialist in plant pathology with the University of Kentucky. “It’s when something seems to be OK today and dead tomorrow. When things blight, usually the leaves will remain intact.”
Each summer, reports of Southern blight surface in university extension reports from Louisiana to southern Ohio and beyond. It’s a ubiquitous pathogen, one that can be found almost anywhere there’s soil. With a wide host range, Sclerotium rolfsii has no shortage of opportunities to flourish. Hemp is certainly not an exception.