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EM•1® Microbial Inoculant Effectively Controls Lettuce Fusarium Wilt at Kaneshiro Farm

Fusarium wilt of lettuce is caused by a fungus. It causes lettuce to wilt, turn yellow, develop tip burn, and die.

Once introduced into a field, the fungus will probably remain indefinitely.

At this time, the only effective control measure is to avoid planting in the infested fields for at least several years.

Owen Kaneshiro has applied EM•1® as pre-plant soil along with chicken manure and consistent weekly foliar applications of EM•1® at a rate of 1:50 to control the Fusarium wilt damage on his Manoa lettuce fields.

This enables the Manoa lettuce’s own plant immune system to recover from the initial attack. Owen harvested an impressive 3,700 lbs from this known infested field. This harvest is more than some of his other Manoa lettuce fields that did not have Fusarium, which averages 3,300 lbs.

A second planting of Manoa lettuce in the same field a year later produced similar results, with 3,600 pounds at harvest!

Harvesting Manoa lettuce from field known to have high incidence of Fusarium wilt. Nanakuli, Hawaii (Island of Oahu)

Another view of the Manoa lettuce field showing some empty spaces where lettuce did not mature due to Fusarium wilt damage.

Manoa lettuce stunted by Fusarium wilt recovering from repeated EM•1® applications.

Manoa lettuce growing healthy after initial Fusarium wilt damage.

Another view of Manoa lettuce ready to harvest from the Fusarium wilt infected field.

Manoa lettuce after harvest. The plant showed signs of initial Fusarium wilt damage but recovered to harvest. Nice healthy roots.

Owen Kaneshiro, 3rd generation Okinawan farmer. Manoa lettuce that was too small at harvest are still growing in fields known to have Fusarium wilt.

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