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  5. Identify priority plant pests and diseases
  6. Texas root rot

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Texas root rot

PLANT PEST

Many rows of green and brown plants under a blue sky with small clouds. Several people are walking between the rows.
Texas root rot causes patches of dead and dying plants, here in a cotton field.
Chris Anderson, NSW DPI.

Texas root rot

Exotic to Australia

Features: Soil borne fungal disease that causes sudden wilt and death
in many plant species.

Where it’s from: Southwest USA, Mexico, Venezuela, and recently
reported in Libya, North Africa.

How it spreads: Importation of infected plants or soil; local spread
through infected plants, water and soil.

At risk: Thousands of plant species; cotton, grapes, fruit trees, forest
trees, alfalfa, cherry, grains, soybean, lucerne and ornamental plants.

This pest is listed on both the National Priority Plant Pests and the National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases as it has the potential for significant plant industry/agriculture impacts and may also cause significant damage to our environment and social amenity. 

Report it

Keep it out

Texas root rot, caused by the fungus Phymatotrichopsis omnivor, is one of the most destructive fungal plant diseases. It is a soil-borne fungus that attacks the roots of plants, causing them to wilt and die, usually during the warmer months.

Texas root rot affects over 2000 species of plants including vegetable, fruit and broadacre crops. It is an important disease of cotton as well as grapes, fruit trees and many ornamental plants.

It is very difficult to control Texas root rot once it gets into fields or orchards because it penetrates deep into the soil and survives there for a long time. It has been known to lie dormant for decades, so that only other species that are resistant to the disease can be grown.

Importing goods

To keep Texas root rot out of Australia, never ignore Australia’s strict biosecurity rules.

Import shipments may need to be treated and certified, so before you import, check our Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON).

What to look for

  • Plants wilting and dying, particularly during hot weather as the rotted roots are unable to take up enough water.
  • The roots of infected plants will be covered with a network of white to tan fungal strands.
  • In the field, look for patches of dead and dying plants, often with the dead leaves still attached. Patches may expand in a circular pattern during warm weather as the fungus spreads through the soil from plant to plant. You might see a spore mat on the soil around infected plants.
A creamy brown, bumpy plant root with a white patch against a blue background.

Roots of dead plants are covered in fungal strands.
S.D. Lyda, Bugwood.org.

Dead brown plants in the foreground and green plants in the background.

Dead cotton plants with leaves still attached.
Chris Anderson, NSW DPI.

 

Where to look

Importers

Infected plants, plant material and soil are the most likely way that Texas root rot could make it to Australia.

Growers and home gardeners

Check plants or crops for wilting and root damage, particularly in summer. It affects agricultural crops like:

  • cotton
  • grapes, especially Vitis vinifera varieties
  • forest trees
  • grain crops
  • cherry
  • mango
  • avocado
  • corn
  • peach
  • pecan
  • fruit trees
  • ornamental plants

What to do

If you think you’ve found Texas root rot:

  • take a photo
  • do not disturb infected plants (this may be as simple as closing the doors on a shipping container or preventing access to a field).

Report it

Seen something unusual? Report it. Even if you’re not sure.

Report it without delay

Read the detail

  • Plant Health Australia: Texas root rot resources
  • New Mexico State University: Texas root rot

General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

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Report a biosecurity concern

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Page last updated: 28 March 2025

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

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