- Drought symptoms
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Wilting or discolored leaves
Verticillium wilt is a vascular disease that reduces the plant's ability to take up water and nutrients. Symptoms closely resemble drought stress and nutrient deficiencies. Wilting of leaves, and yellowing between leaf veins, leaf tip and edge browining, and blighted branches are commonly observed. Cutting into the stem may reveal dark stained vascular tissue on woody plants.
When not colonizing plants, this fungus survives in the soil. Infections occur in cool or warm weather, though symptoms may not show until summer heat stresses the plant. The fungus infects through the roots of stressed plants and colonizes the root system and stem. This reduces the plant's ability to take up water and nutrients will eventually kill the plant.
Replacing diseased trees with yews, conifers, or other plants resistant to Verticillium wilt is the only effective control measure. Reducing stress to susceptible plants will decrease likelihood of infection.
Pesticides are neither available nor recommended for managing this disease.
