(left) Farmers hope that research being done at CSU Monterey Bay will reveal what makes some varietals of lettuce more tolerant and others more susceptible to pythium wilt. In general, green leaf lettuce fares worse than red leaf lettuce. (right)Â
The taproot of lettuce root is supposed to be yellowish and have rootlets coming out of it. In this case, the plant is sick with pythium wilt. The taproot is discolored, stunted and decay has caused its rootlets to fall off. Itâs referred to as the rat-tail effect.
By the time the good news about lettuce was announced, some of the bad news had already arrived, and a lot more was on the way.