click80
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- May 7, 2010
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I didn't know what E. Foot was so I looked it up...this is for anyone else out there that might want a little info on it...kinda interesting how they alleviated this.....
Additional index words. Capsicum annuum, physiological disorder, basal stem rot, irrigation,
fungus gnats.
Abstract. Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is currently the vegetable crop with the
largest acreage under protected agriculture in Florida. The growing system for pepper is
characterized by the use of soilless media and frequent irrigation with a complete nutrient
solution. A physiological plant disorder not known to occur in soil-grown plants was
observed in two hydroponic greenhouse crops at Gainesville, FL. The stem became swollen
below the cotyledons node level, where longitudinal cracks developed on the epidermis.
Rotting occurred in these wounds and reached the internal stem vessels. Adventitious roots
abscised leading to a major reduction of water absorption. The affected plants wilted
suddenly with no diagnosable pathogenic disease. In other countries (i.e. Spain and
Canada), where greenhouse sweet pepper has been grown in soilless media, the disorder has
been termed “Elephant’s Foot”, based on a description of the stem appearance. Locating
irrigation emitters close to the stem may be directly related to a cause for this disorder.
Moving the emitter gradually away from the stem base partially helped to alleviate the
problem. In Spain and Canada the “Elephant’s Foot” disorder is avoided by transplanting
a young seedling up to the cotyledonary level into a rockwool block. The block is later
placed over a soilless media bag or rockwool slab. The irrigation emitter is moved from the
top to the base of the block once the roots grow into the container media. Factors other
than emitter location, such as irrigation and fertilization frequency, and/or the use of
certain soilless media per se might also lead to the development of “Elephant’s Foot”.
Additional research related to these factors is presently being conducted to determine the
cause and solution for the disorder. More information and knowledge about the factors
that cause the “Elephant’s Foot” disorder will help avoid this problem.
Additional index words. Capsicum annuum, physiological disorder, basal stem rot, irrigation,
fungus gnats.
Abstract. Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is currently the vegetable crop with the
largest acreage under protected agriculture in Florida. The growing system for pepper is
characterized by the use of soilless media and frequent irrigation with a complete nutrient
solution. A physiological plant disorder not known to occur in soil-grown plants was
observed in two hydroponic greenhouse crops at Gainesville, FL. The stem became swollen
below the cotyledons node level, where longitudinal cracks developed on the epidermis.
Rotting occurred in these wounds and reached the internal stem vessels. Adventitious roots
abscised leading to a major reduction of water absorption. The affected plants wilted
suddenly with no diagnosable pathogenic disease. In other countries (i.e. Spain and
Canada), where greenhouse sweet pepper has been grown in soilless media, the disorder has
been termed “Elephant’s Foot”, based on a description of the stem appearance. Locating
irrigation emitters close to the stem may be directly related to a cause for this disorder.
Moving the emitter gradually away from the stem base partially helped to alleviate the
problem. In Spain and Canada the “Elephant’s Foot” disorder is avoided by transplanting
a young seedling up to the cotyledonary level into a rockwool block. The block is later
placed over a soilless media bag or rockwool slab. The irrigation emitter is moved from the
top to the base of the block once the roots grow into the container media. Factors other
than emitter location, such as irrigation and fertilization frequency, and/or the use of
certain soilless media per se might also lead to the development of “Elephant’s Foot”.
Additional research related to these factors is presently being conducted to determine the
cause and solution for the disorder. More information and knowledge about the factors
that cause the “Elephant’s Foot” disorder will help avoid this problem.