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Monitor Sunflower for Sclerotinia
The best time to monitor sunflower for sclerotinia is about four weeks after flowering.
Look for plants that are dead or wilted. If the plants died from sclerotinia wilt, there will be a soft rot at the base of the stalk. The rot is brown at first, but later may have a bleached appearance. In wet weather, a cottony white growth may form on the surface of the stalk. Later, irregular-shaped hard black bodies, the sclerotia, form inside the stalk and sometimes also on the surface of the stalk.
Sunflower growers frequently wonder how much sclerotinia is too much. Research indicates that even 1-2 percent sclerotinia stalk rot might be too much, since considerably more disease will occur the next year if sunflowers are planted on the same field. If 10 percent or more stalk rot is present, it may be necessary to not plant sunflower on that field for about six years. This also means not planting other highly susceptible crops such as dry edible beans.
When planning rotations for sclerotinia-infested fields, remember that sunflower and dry beans are not the only susceptible crops. Mustard, canola, crambe, soybeans, garbanzo beans and potatoes are also hosts of sclerotinia. In 1993 sclerotinia was found in flax.
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