What is Verticillium Wilt?
October 20, 2022
What is Verticillium wilt?
This soil-borne fungal disease can affect many fruit, vegetables, and ornamental plants. The fungi enter through their root systems and travels upwards in the water-conducting tissues causing wilting of the upper parts due to water stress. Infection causes dieback and the leaves to wilt.
What plants are affected by Verticillium wilt?
Plants commonly affected are:
- Eggplant
- Potato
- Tomato
- Cucurbits
- Strawberries
Woody plants are also affected, including
- Acer
- Cotinus
- Rhus
- Berberis
- Catalpa
- Cercis and
- Rosa, but the full host range is large
What are the symptoms of Verticillium wilt?
- Yellowing and shrivelling of lower leaves
- Some or all of the plant suddenly wilts, especially in hot weather. Plants may recover in cooler or wetter conditions
- Brown or black streaks in the tissue under the bark
- Branch dieback is a common symptom in trees and shrubs
How to control Verticillium Wilt
The fungus can be spread in contaminated soil. Weed control is important because some weeds are hosts. Heavy watering and application of nitrogenous fertilisers may stimulate the production of new conducting tissue in woody plants and help them recover.
This disease is difficult to control as the fungus spreads internally throughout the plant, if symptoms reveal a heavily infestation, it is recommended to remove the plant and dispose of the infected material (bag & bin) and to avoid replanting with susceptible varieties.