Cercospora Leaf Spot
Risk near you, next 48h
See whether your local forecast favours this disease right now.
When it strikes
Treat, then re-check in 5–7 days
Pick off the worst material, apply the organic option below, and look again after five to seven days. If the spread continued, escalate rather than repeating the same treatment.
Rain and irrigation splash
Water splashing off soil and infected leaves carries it upward and along the row. Watering at the base and mulching the soil surface break the route.
It carries over to next season in soil, debris or seed — which is why rotation matters here, not just treatment.
Hot compost only
A heap that reaches and holds 55–65°C throughout will destroy it. A cool corner heap will not, and will return the problem to the beds with the finished compost.
When and where to look
Scout the planting while temperatures hold between 20°C and 32°C, with humidity above 85%, after rain or heavy dew, while the leaves are still wet. Risk builds after roughly 8 unbroken hours of those conditions, so the morning after such a night is the moment to look.
Rule these out first
Same category, and at least one host crop in common — so they are genuinely confusable in the same part of the garden.
The signs that lead here
Full problem lists for these crops
About
Cercospora leaf spot affects beets, chard, peppers, carrots and many crops in warm humid weather, causing rapid defoliation that reduces root and fruit size.
Symptoms
Numerous small circular spots with tan-grey centres and distinct reddish-purple borders; spots merge and leaves brown and die in heavy infections.
Organic Treatment
Remove infected leaves, mulch, improve airflow, and spray copper in warm wet weather.
Chemical Treatment
Chlorothalonil, azoxystrobin, or difenoconazole on a 10–14 day schedule during humid periods.
Prevention
Rotate crops, use clean seed, widen spacing, and avoid overhead watering late in the day.
Crops at risk
Related problems
Cercospora Leaf Spot risk by location
Each location has a month-by-month profile computed from the weather archive: how many hours a year actually meet this disease’s thresholds.