Plants may recover from the disease but are usually stunted. Symptoms are most common between flowering and harvest when plants are under stress. Warm, wet conditions in poorly drained soils favor infection. Disease and symptom development is favored by high temperatures and low moisture conditions, factors that apparently stress the plant prior to harvest. Control of crown rot involves fumigating, planting resistant varieties, providing adequate soil drainage through raised beds, and avoiding low, wet fields or fields with a history of crown rot.
Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that attack plant roots.
Root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., cause the most damage in Alabama but others, such as the root lesion nematode, Pratylenchus spp., can also be troublesome on strawberries. Symptoms of nematode damage in the field often appear as small patches or streaks of stunted, yellowed plants. Plants often wilt during the heat of the day and fruit production is noticeably reduced. Control nematodes through soil fumigation and cultural practices that include crop rotations and a good fertility and irrigation program. For more information, contact your county Extension office.