Strawberry growers across South Carolina are reporting significant losses from Fusarium wilt during the final stretch of the 2026 season. Clemson Extension specialists say affected fields are showing collapsing plants, yellowing leaves, and wilted crowns — the classic signs of a wilt infection taking hold fast.
Fusarium wilt is a soil-borne fungal disease with no cure once it's in the ground, making it particularly damaging in commercial strawberry operations. The timing is brutal — hitting at the tail end of the season means growers lose the last weeks of revenue they were counting on. This follows an already difficult year for berry production after frost and disease issues were reported from Wisconsin and Florida earlier this spring.
Watch this one heading into next season: Fusarium-infected fields can remain contaminated for years, which means affected growers may face hard decisions about replanting locations and variety selection for 2027.