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Fusarium wilt
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis
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Infected plant on left.
Fusarium wilt is considered the most important disease of lentils worldwide. This disease can cause complete crop failure under favourable conditions.
It is exotic to Australia and breeding lines have been tested internationally as part of a pre-emptive breeding strategy for this disease. F.oxysporum is a common root rot pathogen in Australia, but the lentil specific strain has not been detected in Australian commercial lentil crops.
Disease development is favoured by warm dry conditions, and mild temperatures (22-25°C) during late Winter/early Spring.
This disease is not present in Australia.
Submit samples to your local Department of Agriculture or Primary Industries for confirmation.
Symptoms generally appear during flowering to pod filling stages of crop growth. Plants appear in patches within a crop. Sudden wilting of top leaves, stunting of plants, shrinking and curling of leaves without defoliation. Root symptoms include reduced growth with a marked brown discolouration, tap root tips that are damaged, and sometimes a proliferation of secondary roots. Discolouration of the vascular tissue and lower stem may not always be present.
L McMurray, SARDI