Some vegetable diseases tend to be more pesky some years than others. This gardening season, southern stem blight, sometimes referred to as white mold, caused problems in home vegetable gardens statewide. Gardeners who experienced crop losses as a result of southern blight in 1996 will likely suffer similar problems during the 1997 gardening season unless precautionary steps are taken starting this fall.
Southern blight is caused by a fungus.
This fungus can attack and kill beans, peas, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and numerous other vegetable crops. Disease outbreaks are most severe during periods of wet, warm weather when temperatures range from 80 to 95 degrees. Garden plants which have been attacked by southern blight first tend to turn yellow. This stage of the disease is quickly followed by wilting and death of the affected plant. There are several pests which may cause plant yellowing and wilt, however it's easy to determine if southern blight is responsible.