GENEVA, NY - Helene Dillard's responsibilities are to conduct research and outreach activities on the control of vegetable diseases. One of her favorite projects has involved white mold of cabbage. White mold is caused by a fungus that can infect over 350 different species of plants. The fungus survives in the soil during the winter months and attacks cabbage crops during the growing season. Normally, the fungus prefers to grow on nutrient rich plant parts such as flowers, and since cabbages have no flowers, it has always been a mystery how cabbage heads become infected. Dillard found that flowers of certain weeds, particularly common ragweed and velvetleaf, were infected in many cabbage fields. These infected flower parts would fall onto healthy cabbage plants and within days after coming in contact with infected weeds, the cabbages would contract the disease.
From these observations, Dillard recommended that growers remove these weeds from cabbage fields to avoid the disease. Subsequent research has shown that removing the weeds from the field provided better control of the disease than costly fungicide applications. Her research has also shown that mechanical injuries caused by insects feeding on the leaves or bruises from equipment moving through the field, result in wounds that can be colonized by the white mold fungus.
For more information, contact:
Helene Dillard
Dept. of Plant Pathology
NYSAES
Geneva, NY 14456
Telephone: 315-787-2376
e-mail: hrd1@cornell.edu
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