What causes plants to wilt suddenly?
Plant collapse soon after planting out can be due to damping-off organisms such as Pythium, Phytophthora and Rhizoctonia or from attack by crickets, cutworms or wireworms. High temperatures heat the plastic mulch which can burn the plant stem at the level of the plastic, causing it to collapse. Once the plants have become established, collapse can be caused by sclerotium base rot (Sclerotium rolfsii ). This fungus appears around the base of the plant as a thick white growth with small radish-seed-like resting bodies at the advanced stage of the infection. Drenching around the base of the plants with a suitable registered chemical may be worthwhile if heavy losses are expected. Plant collapse can also be due to sudden wilt or bacterial wilt.
