5 ways to treat fusarium

By Nikos Kypriotakis, Agronomist, Agricultural University of Athens, Department of Food Science and Technology – AgriSC partner

Fusarium is one of the most critical, pathogenic soil fungi, which attacks the roots of plants by penetrating their vessels.

It is one of the most common diseases in greenhouses (tomato, pepper, cucumber, etc.). What specific effects does fusarium have on plants and how can it be treated?

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The fusarium, once it enters

The plant's blood vessels begin to multiply. The more fusarium cells multiply, the harder it is to transport water and juices to the plant, resulting in leaves that are not sufficiently hydrated.

What kind of damage cause fusarium to plants?

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The effects of the infestation are visible

when the leaves need water, e.g., at midday on a hot day when the leaves need for transpiration is very high. In this case, if the vessels are partially blocked, the leaves are forced to twist as they cannot be supplied with enough water. The leaves, however, recover in the afternoon, after the heat of midday, since the need for transpiration is less.

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The problem will intensify

When the fusarium cells have multiplied to such an extent that the vessels are completely blocked, the drying of the leaves is inevitable.

Fusarium can be treated in the following ways

  • Selection of hybrids resistant

    to the fusarium fungus or inoculation of the desired variety into resistant rootstocks.

  • Sun disinfection

    during the summer period (mainly in August) with a special plastic film (special transparent nylon) for 2.5 to 3 months. The high temperatures help disinfect the soil from fusarium.

  • Soil disinfection

    carried out with approved preparations before cultivation. During the summer, they have the best synergistic effect with sun disinfection due to the high temperatures.

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  • Decontaminated manure

    contributes to element exchange by maintaining pH at 6.5% to 7%. In addition, it acts as a substrate for beneficial fungi, which attack pathogenic microorganisms.

  • Soil inoculation

    with beneficial, saprophytic fungi, which feed on pathogenic fungi such as fusarium, verticillium, pythium, phytophthora, etc. In this way, the beneficial fungi, after killing the pathogens, establish themselves in the rhizosphere and do not allow pathogens to enter. For this reason, it is useful to occasionally feed these beneficial fungi with preparations such as acid Leonardite, amino acids, algae, polysaccharides, etc.

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