Controlling ring spot disease of cabbage

Combat cabbage ring spot disease by removing infected leaves and spraying fungicide, according to research.

Cabbage production, though a profitable venture, can be beset with diseases that remarkably decrease the marketability of produce. One of the most common diseases is the ring spot caused by a fungus Mycosphaerella brassicicola. About 30-40 percent crop loss was recorded in Benguet and Mountain Province when cabbage crops were infected.

According to Trenesie M. Lorezco and Juliana S. Mariano of the Bureau of Plant Industry-Baguio National Crop Research and Development Center, combining defoliation and weekly application of difenoconozole at 6 ml/16 liters (eight sprayings per season) gave the highest yield of 54.35-64.60 tons per hectare. This can be further translated to a total gross earning of P461,090 per hectare or a net profit of P249,597 per hectare. Defoliation involves the removal of two to three infected lower leaves at 35, 50, and 65 days after transplanting.

A report at the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) shows that defoliated plants without fungicidal treatment produced marketable yield ranging from 39.98 tons to 49.63 tons per hectare. When only chemical treatments were applied to control the diseases, least disease infection of 1-5 percent leaf area and yield of 52.49-60.93 tons per hectare were observed in difenoconozole-treated cabbage plants. – Edna A. Anit, S&T Media Service