My cabbage heads are developing a soft, slimy, watery rot that smells very bad, starting often from a wound or the base and spreading through the head. It got worse after rain and warm weather. Is this a fungus or bacteria and what can I do?
A soft slimy watery rot with a foul smell, spreading from wounds or the base in warm wet conditions, is bacterial soft rot, not a fungus. Bacteria enter through injuries and insect damage and multiply fast in moisture. There is no spray that cures a rotting head, so management is prevention. Avoid wounding plants during weeding and harvest, control insects and caterpillars that create entry points, and improve drainage so water does not stand around the heads. Do not harvest in wet conditions, and remove and destroy rotting heads away from the field rather than leaving them. Copper based sprays give some protection against the bacteria as a preventive but will not save a rotted head. After harvest avoid bruising, keep produce cool and dry, and do not pile wet heads together. Confirm with your KVK and rotate away from cole crops in fields where soft rot is recurring.
Harvesting only when the heads are dry made a big difference for me. Cutting in the wet just spread the rot in storage.
Controlling the caterpillars helped because the rot kept starting at their feeding holes. Fewer wounds, less rot.
Get free daily mandi prices, MSP changes, scheme cut-offs and weather alerts - and your own Kisan ID.
Today's rates, MSP moves, scheme deadlines and weather - the moment they matter.
Join Bharat Annadata Sangh free - get a digital farmer ID card and free answers from our Krishi Team.
100% free · No spam · Prices from Agmarknet · Unsubscribe anytime
