Fusarium Wilt In Tomatoes

Fusarium wilt is caused by the fungus  Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. The fungus has three races, race 1, race 2, and race 3. It infects mainly tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant but can live on any solanaceous crops and weeds, including pigweed, mallow, and crabgrass.

Symptoms of Fusarium Wilt

The symptoms of fusarium wilt start with plants wilting in the daytime but rebounding at night. Next, leaves start to turn yellow in random places on the plant. Eventually, the entire plant turns yellow and dies. If you remove the outer layer of the stem, you will see dark red and brown vascular material. Basically, the fungus fills up the plant’s vascular system so water cannot reach the leaves.

Transmition of Fusarium Wilt

Fusarium wilt can live for a long time as a spore in soil. It usually enters a plant through wounds on the roots. Infected transplants may bring it to your garden. The fungus doesn’t usually spread in the wind.

Management of Fusarium Wilt

Once a plant gets fusarium wilt, it will die. There is no treatment for this fungus. Prevention is the only way of managing this disease.

Plant Resistant Varieties

Many tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant cultivars are resistant to fusarium wilt. Therefore, the label on the plant will usually say it is resistant to fusarium wilt and which race it resists. Your Extension agent can tell you which race or races are in your county.

Use Cultural Controls

The way you maintain your garden plays a part in resisting fusarium wilt. Here are some things you can do to help.

• Buy disease-free seeds and transplants
• Clean your tools and equipment to avoid spreading the disease.
• Remove infected plants and place them in the trash, not the compost pile.
• Raising the pH of your soil to 7 will kill fusarium wilt.
• Be careful not to use too much nitrogen or it will encourage fusarium wit.
• Rotate your solanaceous crops and only plant them in a given place every three to five years.
• Keep weeds out of the garden.
• Plant on hills or in raised beds so the soil drains well.
• At the end of the growing season, remove all plant debris from the garden.
• There is some evidence that soil solarization may remove fusarium wilt from the soil.
• Start seeds in sterilized seed starting medium.

Fusarium wilt can decimate your tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Plant resistant varieties of these plants. Make sure you give your plants all the tender loving care they need as weaker plants are more likely to get fusarium wilt.