The New Agriculture Network's on-line newsletter with seasonal advice for field crop and vegetable growers interested in organic agriculture.

Vol. 3, No. 7, July 12, 2006
What’s causing my vegetables to wilt? Daniel S. Egel Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center
Image 1:  There are two hints that the wilting watermelon plant in this photo is not suffering from lack of water.  1) Only one vine is wilting.  This is a common symptom of plants infected with a vascular wilt; however, the entire plant would be wilting if there was insufficient water (This plant happens to have Fusarium wilt).  2) The lower stem of the plant has a brown vascular discoloration (inset). Lack of water does not cause discoloration.	Image 2: The pepper plants in the foreground of this photo are wilting as a result of Phytophthora blight.  This disease causes lesions on the lower stem and roots of plants causing a failure of the plant to transport water to the leaves.

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