stem rot from jute

[bower]

Does anyone have any experience with stem rot caused by jute or carried by jute? Another grower reported the same problem, but I don't have an ID for the disease. Stems have developed these blisters and pinky brown powdery surface looking similar to EB of stems, but spreading almost in rings with a whiter outer edge. This all started within a week of the tying up, and seems to be eating through the stems pretty quickly in some places.

[clkeiper]

I have no idea as I have never seen this but is your jute treated with a petroleum product of some kind?

[Father'sDaughter]

I've been using jute for several years and have never seen anything like that. Are you using a new ball of jute this year? Perhaps different brand or supplier?

[DonDuck]

Have those branches had a lot of movement from wind causing the jute to act like a saw blade?

[JRinPA]

I would think abrasion and not disease from those pics....but you have seen it in person. Looks like it cut/rubbed the outer skin. I'm sure I've done that with poly string and wind wracked plants. If the same thing happened with jute, it would hold moisture there too.


I don't know, keep an eye on it? I have used jute a few times, been a while, but I don't recall anything worrisome, just expected abrasions.

[bower]

Yeah, my initial thought was abrasion. The stems of these plants are pretty tender due to the greenhouse environment - no wind to cause a sawing effect DonDuck, warmer and more humid even than outdoors. But actually the jute seemed softer than the sisal, I thought it would be fine... other stems tied up with polypropylene "all purpose" rope, which is not soft by any means, do not have any sign of abrasion. The brown powdery stuff quickly spread beyond the point of contact, starting as ring shaped whitish bumpy areas - the rounded shape is definitely consistent with a colony formation of either bacteria or fungi.
Yes it was a new ball of jute. I've never used it before, picked up at the corner store where we usually get sisal for the farm.


I am thinking to cut down the affected plants, and if so I guess I'll put a stem into water to see if there's a milky effluent which is the positive test for bacteria. Not too worried about fungi in the compost, if it is EB it's already present in the environment. But if it's a bacterial disease, I am worried about the whole she-bang: disposal of the plants including unaffected parts: possibly replacement of the soil too? IDK. Not a good situation.

[bower]

Could be this stem rot that affects jute where it is grown:
The causal organism- Macrophomina phaseolina(Tassi) Goid is a dreaded pathogen and it can infect more than 500 plant species in about 72 families.

https://krishi.icar.gov.in/jspui/bit...%20_review.pdf


If so it's an ascomycete fungus. IDK if it would survive outdoors here, since it is tropical in origin. Will search further before I decide about composting.


Hmmm Sclerotinia rot is also mentioned in the same - that affects jute and is known to affect tomatoes. And i think the pics are a best match for what I've got.


Anyone have experience controlling 'timber rot' 'white rot' 'sclerotinia rot' on tomatoes/ and/or in the soil?