Verticillium wilt

Caused by: Verticillium dahliae
Problem Category: Fungal Disease
Symptoms: Lower leaves developing mottled appearance; leaf tissue between veins turns yellow and then brown; infected leaves wilt, dry out and eventually die; stems of plants may become blackened close to the soil line; a cross section of the stem reveals blackened vascular system
Comments: Fungus is soil-borne and enters plants through the roots, invading the vascular system; pathogen can be spread to uninfested fields through contaminated irrigation water or movement of infested soils
Management: Plant high quality, disease-free seed; avoid planting sunflowers in fields known to have been infested with Verticillium previously; plant resistant sunflower hybrids in areas where disease is known to be problematic
Control: spray 2 times 5% Cowdung+Asafoetida solution in 10 days interval.