Ed Sikora
@alabamaED
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Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist. I work with corn, soybeans, fruit and vegetables. I am also a freelance photographer
Auburn University-Alabama USA
Joined September 2014
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CRAZY TOP of corn from last summer. The pathogen causes excessive tillering and twisting of the upper leaves. The tassel resembles a mass of leafy structures-often referred to as ‘crazy top’. Crazy top occurs predominantly in low-lying areas of a field
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Symptoms of Tomato spotted wilt virus on tomato. Quite impressive ringspots. The virus is spread and transmitted by thrips
#Tomato
#Virus
#Plantdisease
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I was honored to receive the Outstanding Plant Pathologist Award from the Southern Division of APS this week from president Dr Lindsey Thiessen (dressed in theme night outfit). I have been a proud member of SD for 31 years & APS for 40 😳Time flies by quickly
#SDAPS2023
#APS
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Bacterial spot on tomato. Common problem in the southeast USA. Difficult to manage; can be introduced on transplants. The bacterium is often resistant to Copper products that are sometimes suggested for control. The pathogen can also damage fruit
#Bacteria
#Plantdisease
#Tomato
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Corn smut is an ugly disease, but so easy to identify in the field. Hello my ugly friend. 🙂
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Anthracnose is a fungal disease of bell & hot pepper. Lesions are small depressed & circular but become larger in time. Concentric circles often surround the lesion. Lesions become covered with pink-colored spores. Cultural & chemical controls are available.
#Fungi
#Plantdisease
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Bacterial wilt of tomato (Ralstonia solanacearum). Rapid wilting of plant without yellowing of leaves. Can confirm by suspending a section of stem in water & looking for white milky stream of bacterial cells oozing from infected stem
#bacteria
#diagnosis
#tomatodiseases
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There is nothing finer then finding corn smut in the morning. A most unusual fungal pathogen.
#corndisease
#fungi
#corn
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Does anybody else see symptoms of tomato spotted wilt virus on these pepper transplants, or is it just me?
#virus
#Plantdisease
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Bacteria oozing from freshly cut stem of tomato infected with Ralstonia solancearum, causal agent of bacterial wilt. Note milky white strands flowing from cut surface. This is an exciting event in the lab each year
#bacteria
#Tomato
#Plantdisease
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The open-access book on Integrated Nematode Management by R. Sikora, Desaeger & Molendijk available at
You need to press "Read this book" when reaching the CABI digital library. It is FREE FREE FREE
#panema2023WS
#expert
#NEMADUSSA
#Nematology
#Nematode
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NEMATODE MONDAY Stunting, yellowing & low yieldsare symptoms of nematode injury in soybean. These can be confused w/t other disorders such as nutrient deficiency, soil compaction or chemical injury which is why symptomatic areas should be tested for nematodes
#Nematodes
#Soybean
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Symptoms of Root-knot nematode damage on soybean. Yellowed stunted plants in patches or strips in field. An examination of the roots would find large knots or galls disrupting the vascular system of the plant
#Nematode
#Soybean
#Soybeandisease
#Rootknot
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Likely symptoms of Watermelon mosaic virus. Causes patterns of dark & light green to yellow patches on leaf. Leaf distortion is common. Symptom vary by virus concentration, timing of infection, single/mixed infections or temperature. WMV is spread by aphids
#Plantdisease
#Virus
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Root knot nematode damage to carrots. Roots can be stunted and forked and may have many short, bushy galled feeder roots. The tops of infected carrots may be stunted, chlorotic (yellowed) or appear water stressed
#Nematology
#Nematode
#Carrot
#SON
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Nematode Monday: Melon plant heavily infected with root-knot nematodes. Roots showing the large distinctive knots produced by Meloidogyne incognita, the southern root-knot nematode.
#nematode
#plantdisease
#RKN
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Rust disease of morning glory. Common to find symptoms as the season progresses. Look for orange powdery pustules on the underside of the leaf.
#Plantdisease
#Fungi
#Rust
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Bacteria oozing from freshly cut stem of tomato infected with Ralstonia solancearum, causal agent of bacterial wilt. Note the milky white strands of bacteria flowing from the cut stem surface. I never get tired of witnessing this event
#bacteria
#tomatoes
#Plantdisease
#Tomato
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A sign of Bacterial wilt of tomato can be observed when the cut stem section is placed in water. A white slime streaming from the end of the stem is visible. The bacterial ooze exuding from the vascular bundles is a quick & easy test for the disease.
#bacteria
#Plantdisease
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NEMATODE MONDAY Root-knot nematode (RKN) galls on tomato. Infected plants should be removed & destroyed after harvest. Roots left in soil can act as a shelter for RKN until the next season. Work soil to bring roots to surface so drying action of wind/sun can destroy the pathogen
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Another day, another strawberry field infected with Neopestalotiopsis leaf spot & fruit rot. Leaf lesions can be confused with other foliar diseases. Lab analysis is needed for positive identification. Spores of this disease are quite distinctive
#Plantdisease
#Fungi
#strawberry
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Fusarium wilt of tomato causes a yellowing & wilting of lower leaves. In time the entire tomato plant wilts & dies. Infected plants have a brown discoloration of the vascular tissue when the lower stem is cut longitudinally. Use a resistant variety for control
#tomato
#gardening
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Some nice galling from southern Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) on Cucurbit. It’s host range is estimated @ over 3,000 plant species. It causes large irregular shaped galls or swellings on infected roots disrupting root function
#Nematode
#Plantdisease
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Reminder of the open access book coauthored by my big brother Richard as well as 2 other eminent scholars. It contains 65 chapters written by 80 experts (including AlabamaED🤯). The e-book is available on CABI @
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Botrytis gray mold developing on strawberries. The fungus can be introduced into a field on infected transplants or can survive on dead plant material and in soil as sclerotia. Gray mold can affect leaves, stems, flowers, and crowns of strawberry # Fungi
#Plantdisease
#Strawberry
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Nematode Monday: Take a look at my BIG Brothers new book ‘Integrated Nematode Management’ (eds) Sikora, Desaeger, Molendijk. It contains 65 chapters written by 80 experts. The e-book link is available on CABI website @
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Symptoms of Frogeye leaf spot on soybean. We typically see the disease on maturing soybeans in August & September in AL. Lesions are tannish-brown & surrounded by a darker reddish-brown or purple ring. Symptoms can also occur on stems, pods & seed
#Soybean
#Plantdisease
#Fungi
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Looking at Organic sweetpotato research plots with famous Nematologist Dr. Brent Sipes (not pictured) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Root-knot nematodes and sweet potato weevils are just two of the pests of interest in our project
#SON
#Nematodes
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2 foliar diseases of tomato. Early blight appears as brownish-black spots that expand to 1⁄2 inch in dia w/t concentric rings in the darkened area surrounded by a yellow halo. Bacterial spot appears as small, brown & circular spots w/t a slight yellow halo. Spots often drop out
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Bacterial spot on tomato is caused by species of Xanthomonas. Symptoms appear on leaves, fruit & stems. Leaf lesions turn a brownish black w/t a narrow yellow halo. Preventing introduction of pathogen on infected transplants is critical for MGMT
#Tomato
#Bacteria
#Plantdisease
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Southern blight (Athelia rolfsii) on tomato. The pathogen attacks over 500 broad leaf plants.A black lesion forms on stem at soil line leading to girdling & wilting of plant. White mycelium develops & soon is cover with white-tan to- brown sclerotia. Difficult to control
#fungi
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NEMATODE MONDAY: I believe Hoplolaimus galeatus on corn. (Correct me wrong). Lip region set off. Basal bulb extending in a lobe over intestine. Intestine extending into tail with rectum attached. Rounded tail. Feeds both ectoparasitic & endoparasitic.
#nematodes
#nematode
#SON
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Wild looking symptoms on Cucurbit (squash?) caused by an aphid-transmitted mosaic virus. Possibly zucchini yellow mosaic virus alone or in combination with Cucumber mosaic and/or watermelon mosaic virus.
#Plantdisease
#virus
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Scouting for foliar diseases of corn in South Alabama. Finding patches of Southern corn leaf blight, but have not yet observed Southern rust. Gray leaf spot observed in North Alabama this week. Unusual for us down here, but a weird year so far
#Corn
#Plantdisease
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Southern Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) galls on roots of cucumber. The galling disrupts normal root function. Aboveground symptoms may include stunting, yellowing & wilting of leaves with reduced yields when populations are excessive
#Plantdisease
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Reniform nematodes on cotton. Reniform is a semiendoparasitic species with females penetrating the root to establish a feeding site. A big problem for cotton growers in the Southeast Shared by Richard Sikora, Prof. Emeritus, U. of Bonn
#Nematode
#Plantdisease
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Soybean rust infected field one week later. Heavy defoliation.
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I am in a good place. My mind is right. Let’s talk EXTENSION Nematology to a new generation of young scientists. I am ready to offer advice & guidance to those individuals interested n the field. Don’t be shy. Extension Nematology/Plant Pathology is cool 😎
#AlabamaED
#SON
#ESN
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Nematode Monday: Cool faded poster from the International Meloidogyne Project (IMP). The life cycle of the Root-knot nematode. Excellent graphics! Anybody remember the year this came out?
#Nematode
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Bacterial wilt confirmed on tomato with a milky ooze test in lab. Field also infested with root knot. Ugh 😑
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Now that’s some Botrytis gray mold on strawberry 🍓. Part of a project we are involved in to detect incidence of fungicide-resistant strains of the pathogen in grower fields in Alabama.
#fungi
#plantdisease
#strawberry
#gardening
#Botrytis
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Potassium (K) deficiency symptoms on soybean in a demo plot. K deficiency appears as yellowing of leaf margins of older leaves. Any factor that limits root growth such as soil compaction, root pruning or dry & loose soil can limit plant K uptake
#Soybeans
#CropProtection
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Strawberry season is almost upon us in Alabama. What plant diseases await me this spring? With recent rains, my thoughts have turned to problems such as Botrytis gray mold. Time and the weather will tell the story
#Plantdisease
#Fungi
#Mold
#Strawberry
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Corn smut, one of my top 10 favorite diseases to find, always makes me smile.
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Fusarium ear rot on hail -damaged corn. Symptoms include a white to pink cottony mold that occurs on kernels scattered or clustered on the ear. Decay often begins on damaged kernels. Species of Fusarium can produce mycotoxins which can harm animals when fed moldy grain
#Fungi
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NEMATODE MONDAY Symptoms of nematode damage on corn include stunting & chlorosis. Feeding from stubby-root or sting nematodes also result in a root system with fewer shorter 2ndy roots. A soil sample from a symptomatic & healthy field section can determine the problem
#Nematode
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Root-knot nematode symptoms (galls/knots) on roots of tomato plants. The amount of galling can vary with population density, Meloidogyne species involved, and the host. Large numbers of nematodes penetrating roots in close proximity can result in larger galls.
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Well, I finally found a few people taller then me tonight at the Plant Health banquet. A BIG time was had by all
#PlantHealth2022
# APS
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Nematode Monday: Sikora brothers discussing nematodes on top of the bottom of the World in Kruger National Park, South Africa
#Nematodes
#SON
#Kruger
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NEMATODE MONDAY: More root-knot nematodes but this time on HEMP 😱. First year of hemp being grown in this particular field following 20 years of cotton. Meloidogyne incognita, southern root knot, the likely culprit.
#nematode
#SON
#hemp
#plantdisease
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Weird misshapen strawberries during spring result from poor pollination. Poor pollination is common when the bloom period has been wet or cold. Frost damage can also cause berry deformities. Lygus bugs & Boron deficiency can also be responsible for the disorder
#Strawberry
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NEMATODE MONDAY: I may need to change this to Root-knot nematode Monday. This time on tomato. It’s a great time to check roots of garden vegetables for galling. Remove them if possible but at least bring them up to surface to expose to sunlight
#SON
#Nematodes
#APS
#Plantdisease
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A Rust disease of morning glory. Common to find symptoms late in the season along the edge of soybean fields. Look for orange powdery pustules on the underside of the leaves
#Plantdisease
#Fungi
#Rust
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Growth cracks on tomato can be caused by dry weather followed by excessive watering or a period of rain. Basically, plants get too much water too fast & the skin can’t stretch to take on the extra fluid resulting in cracking to alleviate pressure
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Why would my neighbor toss out this beautiful specimen of Turkeytail (I assume it’s turkeytail)
@AK_BridgeLake
? I pulled the branches out of the trash heap and tossed them back into his yard. He will thank me someday, I am sure.
#Fungi
#Mushroom
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Mosaic virus symptoms on cantaloupe. Papaya ring spot, Watermelon mosaic, zucchini yellow mosaic or cucumber mosaic virus, or some combination. All aphid transmitted
#Virus
#Plantdisease
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Tomato plant with possible symptoms of herbicide injury. Symptoms of 2,4-D exposure can include curling, crinkling & elongation of leaves and severe distortion of petioles & stems. Severity depends on duration of exposure, plant age and concentration of herbicide used
#Tomato
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NEMATODE MONDAY (from Alaska). Triple threat on bell peppers 🫑 back in Alabama. Southern blight, Fruit anthracnose AND Root knot nematode. Small Galls on roots, but they are there.
#SON2022
#Nematodes
#Plantdisease
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Southern Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) galls on roots of acorn squash (winter squash).
#Plantdisease
#Vegetables
#Nematodes
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Heavy galling on tomato roots from the southern root knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita). Tomato plants suffered mightily from these plant parasitic nematodes during the season. Symptoms include stunting, yellowing & root galling
#Nematode
#PlantDisease
#SON
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Southern corn rust detected at the historic Old Rotation on campus at Auburn Univeristy. The Old Rotation is the oldest continuous cotton rotation experiment in the World 🌎 started in 1886. Still producing results 135 years later. Amazing!
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White mold on kale caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum attacks many types of plants. White mycelium develops on aerial plant parts causing wilting & shredding of tissue. Hard black sclerotia develop on or in infected areas. Cool wet weather favors disease development
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Chili anthracnose (Colletotrichum capsica) appears as small black circular spots on fruit. Manage by using disease-free seed, removing affected plants early to reduce pathogen spread, copper sprays where appropriate, and harvest in a timely manner
#Plantdisease
#Fungi
#Peppers
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White mold on cabbage caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. White mycelium develops on aerial plant parts causing wilting & shredding of tissue. Hard black sclerotia develop on or in infected areas. Cool wet weather favors disease development
#Fungi
#Plantdisease
#Mold
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Choanephora fruit rot of summer squash occurs w/t high humidity & temperature. Symptoms start at blossom end of fruit touching the ground. Affected tissue develops a wet soft rot. Infected fruit look furry or like a pin cushion
#Plantdisease
#Fungi
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Looks like Paraquat (Gramoxone) injury due to drift on corn. Paraquat does not move within the plant and only acts on tissue it contacts. Paraquat injury can be confused with injury caused by cell membrane disruptors or glufosinate
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Target spot on soybeans. The lesions really stand out. Typically in the lower canopy. Usually not a disease we would apply a fungicide, though some varieties appear more susceptible to this fungal pathogen.
#soybean
#plantdisease
#CPN
#cropprotection
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NEMATODE MONDAY: Finally found some root-knot damage on something other then carrots thx year. RKN on the roots of tomato. There will be substantially more galling as the season progresses.
#nematodes
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Plant pathology teaching moment using my morning snack. My apple is infected with 3 fungal diseases: sooty mold, flyspeck & I believe bitter rot. Sooty mold & flyspeck are superficial & can be rubbed off, but I will avoid the bitter rot lesion today
@FruitDisease
#Fungi
#Apples
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Phomopsis leaf blight; common fungal disease of strawberry. Pathogen can infect leaves early in season, but symptoms most apparent on older leaves near/after harvest. Often seen on home garden organic-grown strawberries where fungicides are rarely used
#Strawberry
#Plantdisease
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NEMATODE MONDAY: a repeat from 22. Reniform nematodes are a semiendoparasitic species with females penetrating a cotton root to establish a feeding site. A big problem for cotton growers in the SE USA. Shared by Richard Sikora, Prof. Emeritus, U. of Bonn
#Nematode
#Plantdisease
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