Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Vegetable > Onion > Soft or watery bulb
Onion > Bulb > Soft or watery bulb
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Fusarium basal rot
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cepae
- Leaves turn yellow to brown from the tip down and wilt
- Onion bulb has watery brown decay starting at the base and extending up into the bulb
- Roots are rotted or absent and the bulb is often easily pulled from the ground
- A white fuzzy growth can often be seen on the rotted basal plate
- More information on Fusarium Basal Rot
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Soft rot
Erwinia carotovora pv. Carotovora
- Leaves of onions become pale and wilt
- One or several bulb scales may appear water soaked, gray and soft
- The entire bulb may be soft and watery
- A foul smell may be present
- Common on plants injured by onion maggot or other means
- Disease develops in warm wet weather, often at the end of the season
- More information on Soft Rot
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Stem and bulb nematode
Ditylenchus dipsaci
- Leaves are twisted and stunted
- Leaves may have pale yellow to tan spots
- Base of leaves and top of bulb becomes spongy, and may rot
- Bulbs have cracks
- In severe infestations, plant may wilt and die
- More information on Stem and bulb nematode
