Fusarium wilt – major disease in Australian sugarcane?

• Germination failure and stool mortality represent increasingly serious challenges for sugarcane growers across Australia in recent years. Growers in multiple regions are reporting severe and widespread germination issues, leading to uneven crop establishment, extensive replanting, and significant economic losses.
• Investigations by SRA pathologists over the past five years have identified species of the soil-borne fungus Fusarium (usually F. sacchari) as a likely causal agent, although other fungi are also sometimes associated.
• During the 2025 season, there were multiple reports suggesting that some of SRA’s recent varieties (including SRA21, SRA22 and SRA26 in the Central region) are highly susceptible to germination failure and stool damage potentially linked to Fusarium. However, a clear indication of the economic effects is not currently available.
• This project will firstly undertake a grower survey to obtain information on the economic impact of Fusarium and the potential role of on-farm practices (including choice of varieties). If justified, the project will then assess the prevalence of this emerging disease in the Australian sugarcane industry, confirm the causal agent as F. sacchari, and undertake a preliminary investigation into potential management strategies including varietal resistance screening and fungicide efficacy.

The project aims to conduct urgent research focused on both short-term and long-term objectives:

Phase 1 (funded)

• A grower survey to assess the prevalence and impact of the pathogen across all sugarcane growing areas, NSW, South, Central, Herbert, Burdekin, and Northern regions.
• Ongoing morphological identification of Fusarium sacchari isolates sourced from industry, and molecular identification of a subset of isolates.
• Test the pathogenicity of a set of Fusarium sacchari isolates against a selected susceptible sugarcane variety to determine isolate variability.
• Screen SRA varieties for resistance to selected F. sacchari isolate(s).
• Preliminary screening of potential fungicides against selected F. sacchari isolate(s).

Phase 2 (future investment)

• Future work will seek to develop a sustainable long-term management strategy for the integrated management of this disease.