drooping lettuce

[gardentg44]

went up the garden yesterday to find that some of

my iceburgh lettuce had started to wilt and die,

they where doing really fine.

any ideas?

will post some pics later if i get no answers ??? ???

[gardentg44]

[Suzanne]

I had this last year and was advised to dig up the plant and look at the roots - if white powdery stuff present and something that looks a bit like mice droppings it is lettuce wilt. I'll search back for the thread.

[Suzanne]

Found it - this is what Tim posted

"Lettuce drop prefers cool moist conditions. The disease affects plants when they reach maturity and comes on suddenly casing the lettuce head to wilt and die. Under the dying plant is cottony white mycelium with hard small black sclerotia that look like mouse turds. It is caused by two fungii: S. minor which infects under drier conditions and S. sclerotiorum. Both diseases can survive in the soil as sclerotia for 2 - 3 years without a host Alternate hosts include: canola, potatoes, beans, and many weeds. The fungus infects the plant though dead tissue during conditions of free water on leaves. "

[Robert_Brenchley]

Check the roots. It could be fungus, or it could be a bad attack of root aphid.