Plenodomus destruens[1] or Diaporthe destruens[2] is a fungal plant pathogen infecting sweet potatoes[1] known as foot rot.[3] It can affect sweet potatoes regardless of their age, and it decays them with lesions that eventually increase in size.[4] The fungus causes wilting in sweet potato plants,[5] causes leaves to turn yellow, and causes the part of the stem closest to the soil to turn brown.[3] Foot rot can lead to plant death.[6] In Brazil, it is considered a major disease for sweet potatoes[7] and can destroy entire crops.[8] Foot rot typically impacts sweet potatoes mid-season to harvest times, but can be controlled using similar methods to control fungal plant pathogens Monilochaetes infuscans and Ceratocystis fimbriata.[3] Some chemicals used to control the fungus include benomyl, thiabendazole and captan.[8]
First observed in Virginia in 1913, foot rot affects sweet potatoes in certain areas of North America and South America, eastern Africa, and New Zealand.[2][9] It also affects members of the genus Jacquemontia.[10]
