Several fungal diseases are problematic for cotton growers, including Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae), damping-off (Rhizoctonia spp. and Pythium spp.), Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta gossypii), black root rot (Thielaviopsis basicola) and various leaf spots. Fusarium wilt is of particular concern to growers as the pathogen frequently causes severe economic losses and persists in fields for many years