Jul 16, 2010 Many early-season diseases that live in soil or on
crop residue can attack whatever crop you plant in that field.
One common disease is Rhizoctonia root rot. This fungus
overwinters in soil, waiting to attack the next crop you plant.
From corn and soybeans to cereals and cotton – and even
vegetables in your garden – most crops are vulnerable to
Rhizoctonia. The most common symptom is damping-off before or
after seedlings emerge. Other symptoms include wilting, brown or
red-brown lesions on larger seedlings and young plant stems down
to the soil line and on the tap root. Infected stems often break
in the lesioned area. Roots may die from a firm, dry, brown or
red-brown decay. Emerging roots and stems seem to literally rot
away. Good soil conditions that promote rapid seedling
development prohibit Rhizoctonia growth, but since soil
conditions aren’t easy to control, a systemic seed treatment
fungicide helps protect corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and
cotton.