What Is Yellow Mold?
What Is Yellow Mold?
Molds are organisms that thrive in moist and humid conditions. There are numerous species of molds in the world, over several hundred thousands, in fact. Molds can be helpful to humans but at the same time some species of molds can be deadly to us. They usually reproduce through spores and the release of spores. Yellow mold usually occurs in seeds and plants. This is the reason why one might see yellow mold in soil because they thrive in it.
The Biology Of Yellow Mold
The yellow mold fungus lives in organic matter. It usually flourishes in soil in the form of mycelium or mold colonies. Yellow mold usually occurs in agricultural products because they propagate in seeds and kernels of the agricultural products. The mold spores can easily hibernate or stay dormant for up to several years until conditions are ripe for their growth. The spores of this mold are spread around by the entire agricultural process, which includes digging, tilling, storage and distribution.
Symptoms Of Yellow Mold
Yellow mold may manifest itself as seed decay or decay around the middle of the seed's growth tip. Usually infected seeds do not grow into plants but if they do, they have stunted growth and may have vein clearing chlorosis on the emerging leaves. Evidence of yellow green spores may be seen on the cotyledons while the plant emerges and after its emergence. Seeds can be treated in order to eliminate mold and its effects. This treatment can save the farmer a lot of money compared to replanting an entire crop.
Yellow mold can be controlled by deep plowing and avoiding planting in cold moist soil as this can promote yellow mold instead of inhibit it. Proper irrigation may reduce the risk of late season attacks of the mold but nothing is really sure in these things. This type of mold occurs more likely in sandy soil than any other type of soil, so this is one preventive measure that planters may take although the choice of soil may not be an option since you can only plant on your own property.
Other planters might consider using natural antagonists of the yellow mold as a biological control for it, but this seldom works as expected and success might be limited only to a small percentage of the crops. Some natural antagonists for yellow mold are Gliocladium, Trichoderma and Bacillus cercus. Other ways to control the mold are seed protestants and these have more success than natural antagonists.