Strawberry India
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Fungal disease

Fusarium wilt

Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. fragariae

Soil-borne wilt. Symptoms overlap heavily with Phytophthora crown rot, and the two get confused constantly.

What you see

  1. 01Wilting and stunting
  2. 02Death of older leaves first
  3. 03Internal browning of the crown
  4. 04Discolouration of the xylem

What brings it on

Warm soils, and ground carrying the pathogen from previous plantings.

Why it costs money

Plant loss, and a soil problem that persists rather than a season that goes wrong once.

What to do

  • Distinguish it from Phytophthora crown rot before acting — Phytophthora gives a deep red spongy crown, Fusarium a browner internal discolouration with xylem staining
  • Clean planting material, and rotation away from infested ground
  • Resistant cultivars where they are available to you

Spray strategy. There is no spray answer to a soil-borne wilt. Control is planting material, rotation and cultivar choice.

Also check

Talk to us this week.

Volumes are committed early in the season. If you need fruit between November and March, the conversation starts now.