strawberry Verticillium wilt

Symptoms

Outer older leaves wilt + flatten while inner leaves stay upright, no overnight recovery, vascular discoloration in crown when split, plants die within 2-4 weeks, runners carry the disease.

Plants affected

• garden strawberry

Easily confused with

• strawberry red core

  How to tell them apart: Phytophthora fragariae (red core / red stele) is a soilborne oomycete: above ground you see stunted, blue-green or wilting plants in wet, low-lying, poorly drained patches of the bed, with outer/older leaves turning red or yellow and collapsing while the plant dies back. The decisive sign is INSIDE the root: slice a young white feeder root or the main root lengthwise and you find a rusty red-to-brown discoloured central core (the stele) sharply contrasting with the surrounding healthy tissue, while the outer root cortex rots away. Roots look rat-tailed (side rootlets rotted off). Verticillium dahliae wilt produces a similar wilting, stunted plant, but symptoms appear in dry/warm conditions and are NOT tied to waterlogged spots; outer leaves wilt, dry brown at the margins between the veins and flatten to the ground in a collapsed rosette while the youngest central leaves stay erect and greenish. Cut the CROWN and leaf-stalk bases (not the root core): Verticillium shows brown-to-bluish vascular streaks/flecks in the crown and petiole tissue, with no clean red central stele in the roots. Both Phytophthora fragariae and Verticillium dahliae are common, EU-established soil diseases here; no notification is required for either. Use the red root core (P. fragariae) versus the crown/petiole vascular streaking (V. dahliae) simply to choose the right management, and manage them normally with good drainage, resistant varieties and clean planting stock.

Common questions

How do I recognise strawberry Verticillium wilt on garden strawberry?

Outer older leaves wilt + flatten while inner leaves stay upright, no overnight recovery, vascular discoloration in crown when split, plants die within 2-4 weeks, runners carry the disease.

Do I have to report strawberry Verticillium wilt?

No. strawberry Verticillium wilt is not a notifiable organism, so there is nothing to report to an authority. Treat it as a normal garden problem.

How is strawberry Verticillium wilt treated?

Mainly with biological and cultural measures — removing affected material, changing the conditions that favour it, and treating with agents approved in your country. The exact steps and their timing depend on the plant, the season and where you live: Dr. Phyto works them out in a free diagnosis.