Diseases

Fusarium Wilt of Cotton

Gossypium L.

A vascular disease of cotton caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum. It is characterized by damage to the vascular system, leaf necrosis, and plant death during the budding and flowering stages.

In the reference 7 varieties crop Cotton, where this is mentioned in the description.

The causal agent of the disease is the soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum, represented by various physiological races, such as A, 3, and 4, which differ in virulence. The infection causes tracheomycosis — the clogging of vessels by fungal mycelium, which leads to the disruption of plant nutrition and subsequent wilting.

A key external symptom in the early stages is the appearance of necrotic spots on the cotyledons and leaf vein reticulation. A characteristic diagnostic sign confirming the disease is the brown or dark brown discoloration of the vascular bundles of the xylem, which is clearly visible on cross-sections of stems, petioles, and bolls.

Resistance of cotton to the pathogen is predominantly polygenic in nature. Endogenous biochemical compounds, such as salicylic acid and gossypol, which suppresses fungal development, play an important role in defense mechanisms. Modern breeding approaches also include genome editing technologies and the suppression of specific pathogen gene activity.

General information about the subject — on the page Fusarium wilt and blight.

Sources8

Varieties of Cotton mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.