Fusarium wilt is the major biotic constraint responsible for substantial loss in the agricultural production and yield of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). To better understand the symptomatology and etiology of wilt disease, safflower-growing fields of Karnataka and Maharashtra states in India were surveyed.

Continuous sorghum and safflower (S + SF − S + SF) had higher Fusarium wilt incidence of fully wilted safflower plants (31%) and a larger build-up of Fusarium propagules (1728 cfu g −1 of soil) than other cropping systems.

Fusarium wilt of safflower is caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. carthami. The Fusarium wilt fungus occurs in most cultivated soils of the region where safflower have been grown previously, and many plants grown in these soils may become infected to some degree before they mature.

The fungus was inoculated to a new safflower plant and caused the same wilt. With morphological characters and pathogenicity results, sequence analyses (internal transcribed spacer ribosomal DNA and translation elongation factor 1α) suggested that, the isolated fungus is Fusarium proliferatum.

A few aspects for future strategy of research work on Fusarium wilt of safflower have been mentioned. The topics reviewed in this article includs historical background, geographical distribution, losses, symptoms, pathogen taxonomy, reproduction, races, ecology, epidemiology, host resistance, chemical control, biological control and integrated ...