Informational table showing disease name, symptoms, pathogen/cause, and management of Easter Lily diseases. Disease Symptoms Pathogen/Cause Management Bulb Basal Rot The basal plate is dark brown and dead. Scales fall off. Fusarium and Cylindrocarpon Use pasteurized potting soil. Do not plant bulbs that have a rotted basal plate. Dip bulbs in a fungicide before planting. Bulb Storage Rot
Bulb scales have brown spots and a severe rot. Bulbs may be soft and covered with a blue-green mold or white fungal growth. Bulbs harvested while still immature are attacked by Penicillium (blue mold) or Rhizopus (soft rot) fungi. Do not plant affected bulbs. Botrytis Blight Oval to circular reddish-brown spots form on leaves. Brown spots develop on flowers. Botrytis cinerea Maintain humidity below 85%. Apply a fungicide to protect healthy plants. Leaf Scorch
Semicircular dead areas develop along leaf margins and may engulf leaf tips. Uncertain. Fluoride toxicity, mineral deficiency induced by root rots, and low soil pH have been implicated in scorch. Avoid the use of superphosphate and other fluoride-containing fertilizers. Control root rots. Maintain a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Pythium Root Rot
Lower leaves yellow and die. Roots are limp and dark brown. Flowers abort. Pythium Use pasteurized potting soil. Drench potted bulbs with a fungicide. Or, apply a fungicide as a soil drench. Rhizoctonia Stem Rot
Bulbs are yellow rather than the normal white. Stems and scales where the stem emerges develop a soft rot, causing the plant to topple. Rhizoctonia Use pasteurized potting soil. Drench potted bulbs with a fungicide. Repeat treatment as stated on the fungicide label. Scale Tip Rot
The tips of scales turn tan or dark brown to black in color. A complex interaction of Pseudomonas bacteria and the fungi Fusarium and Cylindrocarpon appear to be the cause. Do not plant affected bulbs. Twist Leaves along the middle stem area twist while leaves above and below appear normal. Uncertain. Pseudomonas may be involved. None Curl Stripe
Plants emerge later than normal. Soon after emerging, leaves twist and have white stripes. Tops are crooked. Mildly affected plants grow on and appear normal except for the lower leaves. Lily symptomless virus (LSV) No chemicals control a virus. Maintain greenhouse aphid free since LSV is carried by aphids from plant to plant. Fleck Short white lines develop on the leaves. Entire plant and flowers are stunted. Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) in combination with LSV No chemicals control a virus once disease has begun. Maintain greenhouses aphid-free since CMV and LSV are carried by aphids from plant to plant.

Rhizoctonia stem rot.

Leaf scorch.

Prepared by Gary W. Moorman, Professor of Plant Pathology