What kind of disease is carnation Fusarium wilt

Carnation Fusarium wilt occurs in all carnation-growing areas and causes widespread damage.

[Pathogen]Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. dianthi (Prill. et Del.) Snyd. et Hans, a fungus belonging to the Deuteromycotina and the genus Fusarium.

[Symptoms]The disease mainly invades through the roots of carnations and colonizes the vascular system. Affected plants show chlorosis, yellowing, browning and wilting of the lower leaves or stem internodes, initially usually only on one side of the plant; as the disease progresses, it gradually spreads upward through the vascular bundle tissue toward the upper part of the plant, and after the top branches and leaves wilt, brown longitudinal cracks appear between the stem internodes. When young plants are affected, they often show stunted growth or dwarfing; when the stem is cut open, the cambium is seen to be white and dried out, and the vascular tissue is yellowish-brown. In the late stages of the disease, the roots and stem base rot.

[Disease cycle]The pathogen survives in diseased plant residues or in the soil and can be spread by propagation material, infested soil or water flow, invading plants through wounds on the roots, shoots, stem base or cuttings.

[Epidemic characteristics]Relatively high ambient temperatures, tender and luxuriant plant growth, low soil pH, waterlogged soil, and wounds caused by root pests all favor the occurrence of the disease.