Symptoms

• In young plants, the first sign of the disease is fading or graying of the normal colour of the leaves with wilting of the leaves and young stems.
• It is followed by eventual collapse of the whole plant.
• When older plants are infected, similar symptoms are produced but the older leaves may show chlorosis followed by an indistinct purple-red discoloration.
• The vascular tissues of infected stems is stained dark brown.
• Mature plants show wilt symptoms over a period of several months before they die and eventually become straw coloured.

Management

• The diseased plants should be removed immediately after noticing the disease. Complete root system and surrounding soil should be dug out and disposed off carefully.
• Soil solarization using clear transparent polyethylene film (0.1 mm thick) for 30 days gives satisfactory control.