Wilt Control

Symptoms

Look for gradual yellowing, drooping and drying of leaves with the cane losing weight and becoming light and hollow. On splitting the stalk the inside is discoloured brown to purplish red with hollow, pithy tissue, and the cane shrinks and twists. Affected canes are easily lifted and the disease often appears with red rot.

Damage

Wilt, caused mainly by the fungi Fusarium and Cephalosporium, is a soil and sett borne disease that is worse in water stressed, poorly drained or saline soils. It blocks water movement in the cane, causing drying, weight loss and hollow pithy internodes, which lowers yield and sugar recovery. It often occurs together with red rot, worsening the damage.

Organic & cultural control

Grow tolerant varieties and use healthy seed from a disease free plot. Treat setts with bio agents like Trichoderma and add well decomposed organic matter to improve soil health. Ensure good drainage, avoid water stress and waterlogging, follow crop rotation with rice or legumes, and control borers and red rot which open the way for wilt.

Chemical control

Treat setts before planting by dipping in a recommended fungicide solution such as carbendazim to reduce seed borne infection. There is no effective curative spray once a plant wilts, so seed treatment, drainage and resistant varieties are the main tools. Always read and follow the product label, observe the pre-harvest interval, and consult your KVK or a qualified agronomist before applying.

Always follow the product label, the recommended pre-harvest interval, and your local KVK or agronomist. Pesticide approvals change, so verify before use.

Prevention

Use healthy, treated setts of tolerant varieties from a disease free seed plot and never take seed from a wilt affected field. Improve drainage and soil organic matter, avoid water stress and waterlogging, and follow crop rotation. Control borers and red rot, since wounds and prior infection make wilt much more severe, and rogue out affected clumps.