Surrounding tissue is discolored and yellowed, and plants are often stunted. Control may be achieved with the use of fungicides applied as soon as symptoms are visible. Among the compounds registered for use in Connecticut are sulfur and mancozeb. Consult the label for dosage rates, safety precautions, and directions for use. Smut , Entyloma spp.
Smuts are diseases caused by fungi.
While most smut diseases attack the reproductive parts of plants such as flowers, replacing them with a sooty black mass of fungal spores, smut diseases of perennials often result in light spots on leaves and are called white smuts. This disease is not typically serious, and usually can be controlled by removal of infected plant debris. Stem rot , Sclerotium rolfsii. Symptoms include yellowing of lower leaves followed by wilting and death of the rest of the plant. A white cottony mass of mycelium growing around the crown or on the soil near the crown distinguishes this crown rot from others.