Avocado root rot
Leaves turn pale, small and wilted, branches die back from the top and feeder roots are black and rotten, worst on wet poorly drained soil.
Crops it strikes
What you see
When to act
After long rains, check trees for thin pale canopies, small wilted leaves and dieback from the top. Dig gently under the drip line: black, brittle feeder roots mean act at once on drainage and treatment.
What to spray
Active ingredients only, never brands. The FRAC group tells how it works: switch to a different group next time, so the disease does not learn to survive it. Spray only when the damage is worth the cost, and only with products registered with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority for your crop. Follow the label. The Shopee and Lazada links only show who sells something with that active ingredient, not a recommendation of any seller or product.
Resistance: Water molds learn to resist metalaxyl (group 4) with repeated use. Rely on phosphonate for older trees and keep metalaxyl for nurseries and young plantings.
How to prevent it
- Plant only on deep, well drained soil, and on mounds or ridges where water may stand after rain.
- Buy seedlings from a clean nursery with healthy white roots, grafted on a tolerant rootstock where you can get one.
- Keep a thick, coarse mulch of wood chips or dry leaves under the canopy, away from the trunk. It feeds soil life that holds the water mold down.
- Water with care: never keep the soil soggy, and fix leaks and blocked drains.
- Do not bring mud from sick orchards on boots, tools or seedling bags.
Natural enemies and biological help
- Coarse organic mulch and compost raise the soil life that competes with the water mold. Trichoderma products can be added at planting.
Not sure it is this one?
Many diseases look alike. Send a photo to Anee, the smart farm technician in anee.io. She reads it with your crop, its age and the weather, and tells you what it most likely is and what to do first. In Tagalog or English.