Symptoms
Soft, brown, water-soaked rot at the stem base, often with white fungal threads and tiny mustard-seed-like sclerotia. The plant wilts suddenly and topples as the stem girdles.
Prevention
Improve drainage and avoid waterlogging around the stem base. Rotate crops, raise beds, and avoid burying the stem too deep when transplanting.
Treatment
Organic
Drench the soil with Trichoderma harzianum. Remove infected plants with surrounding soil and solarise beds before replanting.
Chemical (last resort)
Drench affected soil with carbendazim or a tebuconazole-based fungicide. Treat early; established stem rot rarely recovers — observe PHI.
Affects 3 crops
Sources
MARDI Crop Protection Guide; DOA IPM Manual