Growers who plant tomatoes in bags or pots in a high tunnel instead of in the soil should avoid Fusarium crown rot since the fungus survives in the soil. This rot will destroy the root system. For instance, fusarium wilt of tomato is caused by Fusarium oxysporium sp. Fusarium crown rot strikes at the root and wreaks havoc on the entire root system. It is often hard to diagnose this disease as it is sometimes present at the same time as other soil borne fungi. Fusarium Crown and Root Rot on Tomato SIGNS & SYMPTOMS: • Symptoms on tomato plants first appear as yellowing of the oldest leaves about the time that fruit is nearing maturity. Identification. Soil steaming in combination with fungicide drenches may also reduce losses. Fusarium oxysporium can also cause basal rot in a number of plants. lycopersici. Fusarium Root Rot Identification and Habitat. August 15, 2018 Jerry. The use of varieties resistant to Fusarium crown and root rot is generally the most effective way to control this disease. Fusarium infections cause the tomato plant’s foliage to yellow and wilt as the plant dies. Check with your seed representative or seed catalog for tomato varieties with resistance to Fusarium crown rot. While that strain may exist in the soil, it will only impact tomatoes. Other plants are immune to that strain, but not to all other fusarium oxysporium. • Symptoms progress up the plant as the yellowed leaves turn brown (Figure 4). Southern Florida, for example, is much more likely to experience it than Colorado. Fusarium crown and root rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Most tomato varieties with resistance to Fusarium crown rot are indeterminate. Tomato Fusarium Crown Rot. Fusarium and phytophthora root rot are the tomato plant’s most common rot diseases. radicis‐lycopersici was found in the UK in 1988 and 1989 mainly in rockwool‐grown tomato crops. Root Rot Diseases. It is extremely widespread in places with sandy, acidic soil.