Kale has become quite a popular vegetable to grow in the garden and for good reason. It has plenty of health benefits and can be prepared in a wide variety of ways. But what happens when black spots begin to appear on your kale?
So what are those black spots on kale? Black spots on kale are just decomposing or dead kale cells caused by a bacterial or fungal infection of the kale plant. When these infections start attacking the plant, they create toxins and proteins that destroy the plant’s immune system. This in turn, causes the plant cells to die off.
Nobody wants their kale littered with black dots of death. But, with the proper treatment and care, you can prevent these bacterial and fungal infections from attacking your kale in the first place.
Is it Safe to Eat?
But first, let’s address the elephant in the room. Is it safe to eat Kale with black spots on it? Yes. It is safe to eat kale that has black spots on it. It may not taste very good as you are consuming dead kale cells, but it is still safe to eat nonetheless as long as it is properly sanitized prior to eating.
You may think that consuming such kale wouldn’t be safe, but the bacteria and fungi infecting the produce have evolved to infect a plant’s immune system, not a human’s. Just be sure to give all your kale a good wash before consuming.
For good measure use some organic vegetable sanitizer to clean your produce. This will clean the kale more thoroughly than a simple water rinse and in turn, diminish the risk of food poisoning.
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What Causes Black Spots on Kale?
The most common cause of black spots on Kale is the leaf spot. There are two primary types of leaf spots. They include bacterial leaf spot and fungal leaf spot. The appearance, as well as the effect in both cases, are relatively the same.
Once a plant is infected with leaf spot, it develops black or brown spots on the leaves. Sometimes, the black spots have a yellow halo on them. Besides, the spots are usually the same size. In wet conditions, the spots become enlarged and run together.
In dry weather, the spots will have a speckled appearance. An increase in the number of black spots on the leaves causes the leaf to wither and drop. This is because the black dots are clumps of cells that are dying off.
The black spots on Kale also slow the growth of the plant. As a result, the plant becomes susceptible to other diseases or infections. Both bacteria and fungus leaf spots excel in warm and moist temperatures.
Hence, they are more likely to occur in summer. Watering your Kale through the use of overhead sprinklers in summer will also give your plants sufficient moisture that, in turn, will cause infection. Wind and rain also transmit the leaf spot bacteria to plants in your garden.
Moreover, once an infection occurs, the disease overwinters in the soil surrounding the infected plants. The disease remains in the garden debris, seeds, leaves, stems, and fruits from the infected plants and trees.
There are different forms of leaf spot. Nevertheless, the most common type of leaf spot that affects kale plants includes the Alternaria leaf spot and bacterial leaf spot.
Alternaria leaf Spot
The black spots on Kale can be a result of the Alternaria fungal disease. The disease occurs once the fungal spores land on the plant and the conditions for growth are conducive. Alternaria alternata is the fungus species that causes leaf spots in Kale.
The Alternaria creates asexual spores in the spots of the infected leaves. These spores are known as conidia. In case there is a sudden drop or rise in humidity, the conidia can fall. Air currents can then carry the fallen spores to surrounding plants.
When the conidia land on the kale leaves, they wait until nightfall when the dew point rises. The humidity present during this time allows the conidia to germinate. Within 12 hours, the fungus will penetrate the leaf, take hold, and start to spread.
The first sign of Alternaria species on your leaf will be the presence of yellow, dark, or brown spots. As it spreads, more spots begin to appear on the kale leaf. Severe cases can lead to damage and eventually wilting, withering, and dying of the leaf.
Further damage can spread to the stem, and if large areas are affected, the entire plant will fall. Alternaria can also affect the plant below the soil and into the roots.
Bacterial leaf Spot
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