I have four mammoth sunflowers growing in a large pot. Sunflower seeds are excellent savers for the next planting season; whether they are purchased seeds that did not get planted or seeds harvested from sunflowers you've raised. Hi all, I've been following the posts on here for a while as a beginner gardener and have a decent indoor garden prospering. I am a teacher and I have 6 sunflower heads that I cut and dried, hoping to explore with the children in my class. White rust; Lower leaves mottled by yellow or brown tissue between veins. Sunflower None Given. Tissue on upper leaf surface opposite the pustule is raised and yellow green. Creamy white, blisterlike pustules on lower leaves. White mold has been reported on canola in northeast and south central Kansas, Rhizopus is pathogenic on many vegetable crops, but in Kansas, it is primarily a disease of sunflowers. In order for sunflower seeds to germinate, sunflower seeds must receive proper care and storage to … Sunflowers are grown in Texas for four principal marketing objectives. Dense, white mold which usually appears on the surface of the canker, produces fuzzy white bunches that soon harden and turn black. White mold has a large host range, infecting nearly 400 species of broadleaf plants including other Kansas field crops such as soybeans, canola, and dry edible beans. Sunflower is one of the world's four most important oilseed crops, with a value of $40 billion per year. These black bodies (sclerotia) are irregular in shape and are produced on the surface of the canker or partially embedded in it. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a plant pathogenic fungus and can cause a disease called white mold if conditions are conducive. S. sclerotiorum can also be known as cottony rot, watery soft rot, stem rot, drop, crown rot and blossom blight. Stem interior brown to black. Unfortunately, all of them developed mold (feathery white with some dark spots) on the back. Safety of Mold on Sunflowers. ... • Disease is specific to sunflowers • Fungicide seed treatments and resistant hybrids can be used for management • Can be confused with herbicide damage. Unfortunately I now have a question that I can't find the answer to in the forum. Powdery mildew, while not usually a fatal plant disease, will severely affect a garden plant's vitality. • White mold (mycelium) and hard black structures (sclerotia) form inside head • Heads will shred, and disintegration and/or decapitation may occur. White mold is one of the worst diseases afflicting commercial sunflowers. Black areas on stem near soil line. There are organic ways to kill powdery mildew that are safe and effective.