Verticillium wilt is the most economically significant disease in some areas of the Cotton Belt due to lost yield and fiber quality. According to Extension data, severe vert wilt infections can reduce profits by more than $400 per acre.¹

Vert wilt is caused by a soilborne fungus that first infects roots and translocates through the plant’s vascular system. Increased vert wilt infections occur in fields with a known history of the disease, especially in seasons with cool, wet conditions or in irrigated fields. Symptoms of vert wilt include stunted or wilted plants, vascular discoloration and leaf necrosis.

Texas AgriLife Extension and University of Tennessee Extension say vert wilt management begins with tolerant varieties for fields with a known history of the disease. Crop rotation and irrigation management can help mitigate vert wilt, but there are no crop protection products to control the disease.^{1, 2}

PhytoGen offers vert wilt tolerance as one of the PhytoGen Breeding Traits^™. Available in a range of maturities and agronomic characteristics to fit your farm, PhytoGen brand varieties with vert wilt tolerance can protect yield and quality potential while helping you thrive.   
 

¹Woodward, J. E., and T. A. Wheeler. 2011. Integrated Management of Verticillium Wilt in Cotton. https://agrilifecdn.tamu.edu/lubbock/files/2011/11/IntegratedManagementVerticilliumWiltCotton.pdf

²Raper, T., et al. 2017. Verticillium Wilt in Tennessee Valley Cotton. http://news.utcrops.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/W403.pdf