Improved management of charcoal rot of strawberry

Abstract

A three-year research project undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) and the Victorian Strawberry Industry Certification Authority (VSICA), and co-funded through Hort Innovation, has led to new practices enabling strawberry growers to improve the control of charcoal rot. Charcoal rot is a major disease of strawberry capable of causing devastating plant deaths and has a substantial financial impact through lost income. Charcoal rot is a soil borne disease caused by the fungus Macrophomina phaseolina and has been found in strawberries in all states of Australia, although not all strawberry production districts.