White rot

Symptoms

- Plants, apparently growing well, suddenly start to die. Older leaves turn yellow and wilt, and examination will reveal that roots have become stunted or rotten. Seedlings keel over, larger plants can easily be pulled out of the ground, and garlic stems pull away easily from the bulb. A few plants in a small patch may be affected at first, then a whole row may show signs as the problem spreads.

As the disease progresses, a white, cottony-looking fungal growth will be seen around the base and up the side of bulbs, with tiny black globules, like poppy seeds, among the fungus.