By Denise Attaway
South Carolina strawberry farmers are watching an unusually painful end to the growing season as fields that should be bursting with bright red fruit instead show rows of collapsing plants, yellowed leaves and wilted crowns.
And they’re contacting Clemson Extension scientists to help determine a solution.
Across the state, a disease known as Fusarium wilt is rapidly taking hold, leaving growers scrambling for answers and fearing heavy losses. Andy Rollins, a Spartanburg County Extension agent, and Daniel Lyon, a Clemson Extension commercial horticulture agent, are hearing about diseased plants in fields throughout South Carolina.
“Growers started contacting us after their plants started collapsing,” Rollins said. “We visited farms, collected samples and sent them to the Clemson Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic for evaluation. Growers from all over the state were contacting us. They all had the same issue: plant roots were dying and the plants were collapsing.
“It went from being a minor issue to becoming a major concern for South Carolina growers.”
The culprit
Fusarium wilt is caused by Fusarium oxysporum. This soilborne fungus attacks strawberry plants at their roots and crowns, cutting off the plants’ ability to survive. While the pathogen itself is not new to South Carolina, experts say the scale and speed of damage this year are alarming.
Source : clemson.edu