Goudarzi, A. (2025). Management strategies for Fusarium crown and root rot disease in tomato. Plant Pathology Science, 14(1), 9-18.
Fusarium root and crown rot disease of tomato is one of the most important and destructive soil-borne diseases of this crop, and one of the factors limiting production of tomato in the world. Disease symptoms include yellowing and necrosis of leaves and petioles, defoliation, formation of brown wounds on the roots and tissues adjacent to the soil surface, necrosis and discoloration of internal tissues of crown and basal stem, reduction in the quantity and quality of fruits, wilting and plant death. Eleven Fusarium species with names; F. solani, F. oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici , F. moniliforme, F. culmorum, F. commune, F. redolens, F. chlamydosporum, F. semitectum, F. lateritium, F. acuminatum and F. equiseti has been reported as the causatives of the disease in the world. The disease occurrence in farms and commercial greenhouses, if disease management strategies are not implemented, usually leads to great economic losses to the tomato yield and in some cases, complete crop destruction. The disease has been reported from East-Azarbaijan, Semnan, Fars, Hormozgan and Kerman Provinces, in Iran. This article discusses integrated disease management strategies, emphasizing preventive measures such as pathogen exclusion, use of resistant cultivars, prevention of root and crown injuries, sanitation, salt stress management, as well as cultural, biological, and chemical control methods.
