Knowledgebase
If one suspects fusarium ... #477138
Asked August 10, 2018, 8:58 AM EDT
Athens County Ohio
Expert Response
" Yes, it’s perfectly OK to eat the tomatoes. Fusarium is a plant fungus not an animal pathogen; it can only infect plant tissue. In fact, because Fusarium wilt clogs the tomato plant’s vascular systems, it reduces water flowing into the fruit which can elevate the sugars making the fruit sweeter. Unfortunately, this is a very short-lived benefit because the wilt typically progresses so quickly many of the green tomatoes fail to reach mature size and do not ripen before they die on the vine. Also, the sweetened ripe fruit is subject to rapid rot on the vine so she will need to harvest them quickly!"