Guava wilt
Foliage yellows and bronzes, the tree wilts branch by branch, and the roots and inner stem brown — a soil-borne wilt that kills over seasons.
- Pathogen
- Soil fungi (Fusarium complex) + others
- Spreads by
- Soil, water & infected planting material
- Favoured by
- Waterlogging, poor drainage, stressed trees
- Main risk
- Branch-by-branch wilt; tree decline & death
Overview
Guava wilt is a serious, often lethal soil-borne disease of guava, caused by a complex of soil organisms in which Fusarium fungi are the main players (sometimes with other fungi and nematodes). It typically shows first as a light-green to yellow, then bronze or reddish, discoloration of the foliage, often starting on one branch or one side of the tree. Affected shoots lose vigour, the leaves wilt, curl and drop, and the wilting spreads branch by branch.
Below ground and inside the stem, the roots rot and brown and the internal wood/vascular tissue is discoloured brown. The tree declines over one or more seasons — sparse canopy, poor fruiting, dieback — and often dies. It is worse in waterlogged, poorly-drained soils and where trees are stressed or wounded, and it spreads through the soil, water and infected planting material. Because there is no reliable cure once a tree is well affected, management rests on healthy planting material, resistant rootstocks where available, good drainage and soil health, sanitation and avoiding root injury.
How to identify it
- Light-green to yellow, then bronze or reddish, discoloration of the foliage, often on one branch or one side first.
- Loss of vigour, wilting, curling and dropping of leaves, spreading branch by branch.
- Rotted, browned roots and brown discoloration of the internal wood/vascular tissue.
- Tree declining over seasons — sparse canopy, poor fruiting, dieback — and often dying.
What causes it and when
- A soil-borne complex dominated by Fusarium fungi (sometimes with other fungi and nematodes), infecting the roots and vascular tissue.
- Spread through the soil, irrigation water and infected planting material.
- Worse in waterlogged, poorly-drained soils and where trees are stressed, wounded or heavily bearing.
- Builds up over seasons; an affected orchard soil stays a source of the fungus.
Cultural & organic control
- Plant only healthy, disease-free nursery plants, and use resistant/tolerant rootstocks or types where available.
- Ensure excellent drainage and avoid waterlogging — a key factor — and avoid injuring the roots during intercultural operations.
- Keep trees vigorous with balanced nutrition and organic matter, and add bio-agents (e.g. Trichoderma) to the root zone.
- Rogue out and destroy dead/severely affected trees with their roots, and avoid replanting guava immediately in the same spot.
Chemical control
- There is no reliable spray to cure a well-affected tree — control is preventive and soil/root-based.
- Where recommended, a root-zone drench with a fungicide plus a bio-agent can help protect early-affected or neighbouring trees.
- Combine any drench with drainage, soil health and sanitation; chemicals alone will not clear an infested soil.
- Confirm the current root-zone treatment and any resistant rootstock for your area with your local KVK.
Prevent it coming back
- Base the orchard on healthy plants and, where available, resistant rootstocks, with excellent drainage.
- Keep trees unstressed and uninjured, maintain soil organic matter and bio-agents, and practise sanitation.
- Remove dead/affected trees with their roots and avoid immediately replanting guava in the same infected spot.
Crops most at risk
Where this problem is called out in our crop guides — open a crop for the full package of practices.
Frequently asked questions
My guava tree is wilting branch by branch with yellow-bronze leaves. What is it?
Foliage that turns light-green to yellow then bronze, wilting and dropping branch by branch, with rotted browned roots and brown internal stem tissue, is guava wilt — a soil-borne Fusarium complex. It kills the tree over one or more seasons and cannot be reliably cured once advanced. Improve drainage, keep the tree unstressed and uninjured, build soil health and bio-agents, and rogue out and destroy dead trees with their roots.
Why does drainage matter so much for guava wilt?
Because the soil fungi that cause guava wilt thrive in waterlogged, poorly-drained soil and attack roots that are stressed by standing water. Waterlogging both favours the fungus and weakens the tree, so poorly-drained orchards suffer far more. Ensuring excellent drainage, avoiding waterlogging, and keeping the tree vigorous and uninjured are among the most effective ways to prevent and slow the wilt, since there is no reliable cure once it is advanced.
Can I replant a guava where a wilt-affected tree died?
It is risky to replant guava immediately in the same spot, because the soil there is now loaded with the wilt fungus and a new guava plant is likely to be infected too. If you must, remove the dead tree with as much of its roots as possible, improve drainage and soil health, build up bio-agents like Trichoderma, and use a resistant rootstock and healthy planting material — or better, rest or rotate the spot. Confirm the approach with your KVK.
Symptoms and control measures follow ICAR, KVK and state agricultural-university package-of-practices; any named chemical is a registered use. Always read the product label and confirm the dose for your crop and zone. editorial policy.