Strawberries: Plants are wilting and collapsing in an older planting

Plants exhibit poor growth in early spring.

Flowering is sparse. Roots appear healthy, but cutting into crown shows brown crown interior.

Roots are not discolored, but are stubby. A reddish frass (sawdust) surrounds the crown.

Some leaves and flowers have notches chewed in them. Small, white, legless larvae are found near the roots in May.

Most roots are black. Plants collapse near harvest.

• The core of any remaining white roots is red, especially just above the blackened parts of the root.

• Any remaining white roots have numerous black lesions along their length, and the root core remains white near the lesions. Often, however, the entire root system is black.