South Carolina strawberry farmers are watching an unusually painful end to the growing season as fields that should be bursting with bright red fruit instead show rows of collapsing plants, yellowed leaves and wilted crowns.
And they’re contacting Clemson Extension scientists to help determine a solution.
Across the state, a disease known as Fusarium wilt is rapidly taking hold, leaving growers scrambling for answers and fearing heavy losses. Andy Rollins, a Spartanburg County Extension agent, and Daniel Lyon, a Clemson Extension commercial horticulture agent, are hearing about diseased plants in fields throughout South Carolina.
“Growers started contacting us after their plants started collapsing,” Rollins said. “We visited farms, collected samples and sent them to the Clemson Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic for evaluation. Growers from all over the state were contacting us. They all had the same issue: plant roots were dying and the plants were collapsing.
“It went from being a minor issue to becoming a major concern for South Carolina growers.”
The culprit
Fusarium wilt is caused by Fusarium oxysporum. This soilborne fungus attacks strawberry plants at their roots and crowns, cutting off the plants’ ability to survive. While the pathogen itself is not new to South Carolina, experts say the scale and speed of damage this year are alarming.
“Historically, we haven’t seen Fusarium wilt cause significant losses in South Carolina strawberry production,” said Lindsey Thiessen, Clemson University small fruit pathologist. “This year has been different because the plants have experienced extraordinary stress from the weather.”
According to Thiessen, the spring’s erratic conditions created the perfect storm for disease development. Growers endured a season marked by dry conditions, sharp temperature swings, repeated frosts and sudden bursts of record-breaking heat. These conditions weakened strawberry plants, leaving them vulnerable.
“Strawberry plants don’t respond well to repeated stress events,” Thiessen said. “The cold injury, followed by rapid warming and drought conditions, likely created opportunities for the pathogen to infect plants more aggressively than we normally see.”
Typically, Fusarium wilt is associated with root injuries, often caused by nematodes. In most South Carolina strawberry operations, growers fumigate the soil before planting, helping suppress both nematodes and the Fusarium fungus. But this season’s unusual weather has overwhelmed many of those preventative measures.
For growers watching plants die in the field, there is little relief.
“At this stage of the growing season and with how rapidly plants are declining, there are no economical treatments,” Thiessen explained. “Unfortunately, once symptoms become severe, there’s very little growers can do to save affected plants.”
The fungus that causes Fusarium wilt is specific to farmed strawberries and wild strawberry species. Some crops, such as spinach and broccoli, may carry the pathogen without showing symptoms, allowing fungal populations in the soil to increase over time quietly.
Despite the devastating season, scientists are not yet certain whether the outbreak signals a long-term problem for South Carolina agriculture.
“It’s unclear whether this will continue to be an issue in future years,” Thiessen said. “The environmental conditions this spring were highly unusual and stress plays a major role in disease severity.”
Still, Clemson scientists say growers may need to reconsider disease prevention strategies if extreme weather becomes more common. Some strawberry cultivars, including San Andreas and Fronteras, appear to be less susceptible to Fusarium wilt. However, many of the varieties most widely grown in South Carolina remain sensitive.
Experts are also encouraging growers to focus on reducing root stress and protecting plants from cold injury. Where pre-plant fumigation is not always practical for every grower, other non-fumigant products may help suppress nematode populations that can worsen disease pressure.
Strawberry season runs from April through early June in South Carolina. As the season winds down, Thiessen urges growers to remain vigilant.
“In the future, growers should scout carefully for symptoms like stunting, yellowing along leaf margins, interveinal necrosis and wilting,” she said. “Early detection and reducing plant stress may be our best tools moving forward.”
Growers seeking additional assistance are encouraged to contact their local Clemson Extension agent or submit plant samples to the Clemson Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic for evaluation.
Strawberry economics
While South Carolina doesn’t produce massive commercial volumes of strawberries, the crop remains vitally important to the state’s agricultural economy.
Information from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture shows strawberries are the first major spring crop, serving as a cornerstone for local farm revenues, the booming agritourism industry and community food culture.
According to Kevin Burkett, Clemson Extension agribusiness master associate, South Carolina growers planted 607.17 acres of strawberries, yielding 18,000 pounds per acre in 2025. At $2.50 per pound, the state’s strawberry crop generated $27,322,650.
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