This disease can also be post-harvest. Crown and Root Rot begins as a sudden, permanent wilt of infected plants without a change in color. The roots and stem near the soil line turn brown and become soft and watersoaked. Soon the stems collapse. The plants may easily be pulled from the soil because the roots have rotted completely.
Plants often die within a few days.
Rotate away from cucurbits, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant for at least 3 years. Clean equipment when moving between fields, as equipment is the most important way the fungus is brought into a field. Adding compost to the soil can help control this disease. See current recommendations for chemical control measures. While these diseases, alternaria leaf spot and phytophthora, may cause fruit rot, they are not the only diseases that may be present when the fruit is rotted.