FW – Fusarium Wilt
Scientific Name: Fusarium oxysporum
Type: Fungus
Fusarium Wilt is a fungal disease that affects the growth of cantaloupes & melons, cauliflower, eggplants, peas, peppers, squash, tomatoes, and watermelons. It is one of the most devastating of all soil-borne diseases. It attacks the roots of the plants and moves up the stems. Symptoms include stunting and wilting. Plants don’t always die, but it slows growth and reduces yields. Infected seedlings will damping off, wilt, and die. If you stick with fusarium wilt resistant tomato varieties you don’t have to worry. Many of the older heirlooms don’t have any resistance to the disease, so if you grow these then you should keep an eye out for it. The infected plants should be removed to avoid further infestation. Plan on using a 3 year crop rotation and avoid planting in the same location, year after year, as the disease can survive in the soil for 7 years. The best option is to use disease resistant varieties.
FY - Fusarium Yellows
Scientific Name: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans
Type: Fungus
Fusarium Yellows is a soil borne disease that affects the growth of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, and watercress. It is a warm weather disease affecting cabbage throughout the United States. Cabbage and radish crops can be completely destroyed when the soil is infected with the disease. Symptoms include the curling of the leaves and the leaves turning a dull green to a yellowish-green color within a month after transplanting into the field. Young plants may be stunted, turn yellow, and die rapidly in warm weather. The leaves will turn yellow, then brown, wither, and eventually drop off the plant. The infected plants usually die within 2 weeks, other may die slowly. The surviving infected plants will have poor heads of cabbages that are non-desirable. The disease is sometimes confused with black rot, where the leaf veins turn black, rather than turning brown. The disease is favorable when temperatures are 80-85 F. Since the disease can survive in the soil for a long time, crop rotation, fungicide treatment, and destruction of crops, will have little impact once the soil is infected. The only option is to use disease resistant varieties.
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