2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Brown spot affects strawberry leaves almost everywhere. This is a very dangerous ailment that provokes the rapid death of a huge number of bushes of fragrant strawberries. Since this harmful attack mainly attacks old leaves, its stronger manifestation occurs during the fruiting period of mid-season and late strawberry varieties. The massive development of the disease contributes to the defeat and early death of a fairly solid part of the leaves, which in turn significantly reduces the productivity of the culture in the next season
A few words about the disease
Sepals with leaves affected by brown spot begin to become covered with rather unpleasant brown or dark purple specks. They can differ in both irregular and round shape. The middle of the spots are usually lighter, and closer to the periphery they are colored in darker tones. As the unfortunate misfortune develops, they merge, and the leaves begin to quickly turn yellow and die off. And on the specks located on the upper sides of the leaves, you can see easily distinguishable black shiny pads containing mushroom spores. This is what conidial sporulation looks like.
It is noteworthy that the tendrils of strawberries, as well as leaf petioles, are affected by brown spots much less often, and the spots that form on them are usually slightly depressed and small.
The causative agent of this destructive disease is a pathogenic fungus that overwinters under the epidermis of plants at the stage of conidial sporulation or in the form of mycelium on overwintering and dead leaves.
In spring, overwintered mushroom spores, just like newly formed ones, are transferred to berry plantings with the help of drip moisture, insects and air currents. And mushroom conidia can germinate only if there is drip-liquid moisture on the leaves.
As a rule, strawberry leaves are infected with brown spot on both sides. The harmful attack reaches its maximum closer to the second half of summer. This is especially favored by the cultivation of strawberries in irrigated areas and periodic precipitation.
There is in the development of brown spot of strawberry leaves and one extremely unpleasant feature is the so-called deceptive recovery. This is, so to speak, a short-term period of remission, during which, after mowing the berry bushes, new green leaves grow without any spots. Nevertheless, the impression of external recovery is rather deceptive: such plants are very weakened, while both seedlings and adult bushes are characterized by dwarfism. The visibility of the absence of brown spot lasts until the end of summer, and with the onset of August or early September, the next phase of the development of infection starts, and characteristic reddish-brownish spots can again be found on strawberry leaves.
How to fight
To maximally protect strawberry plantings from brown spot, it is necessary to grow strawberries in compliance with all the most important agrotechnical rules. During the growth of berry bushes, it is necessary to carry out systematic loosening of the soil (this is especially true for highly fertile heavy soils). Watering should be timely, and the removal of weeds should be constant. It is also important to try to avoid excessive thickening of the plantings.
Old strawberry leaves affected by the merciless disease should be collected and destroyed both in early spring and in autumn. If the area where strawberries are grown is relatively small, then the affected leaves are removed during the growing season.
As for chemical treatments, they are carried out first at the very beginning of the growth of strawberry leaves, and then when the isolation of tiny flower buds begins. If the disease develops too intensively, then at the end of the harvest of fragrant sweet berries, it is allowed to carry out a third treatment. Such preparations as "Skor", "Topsin-M" and "Horus" are especially well suited for carrying out such treatments.
Recommended:
White Spot Of Gooseberry And Currant Leaves
White spot, otherwise called septoria, actively attacks gooseberries with currants in the summer. Red currant is affected by such an unpleasant ailment to a lesser extent compared to black. The harmfulness of septoria is quite high, especially in the southern regions - dead tissue on infected leaves often reaches 20 - 50% of their total surface. This disease, in addition to the massive drying of the leaves, also causes their premature fall. And for sick shoots, it is characteristic
Brown Spot Of Tomatoes
Brown spot, otherwise called cladosporium, affects not only tomatoes - it also causes a lot of harm to potatoes and other plants from the Solanaceae family. The spread of such an infection occurs through contaminated soil, as well as plant debris and seeds. If you do not fight this scourge, you can not expect a good harvest
White Spot Of Strawberry Leaves
White spot, or septoria leaves of strawberries, significantly weakens the vegetation and significantly reduces its winter hardiness. Especially strongly this disease attacks plants with strongly thickened strawberry plantings. And it is distributed almost everywhere where this wonderful fragrant berry is grown. Usually the first signs of septoria appear in the spring, closer to mid-May
Brown Spot Of Apricot Leaves
The brown spot of apricot leaves is scientifically called gnomoniosis. Mainly from this misfortune, leaves and their petioles suffer, less often - fruits. The first signs of gnomoniosis can be seen already in June - yellowish blurry spots appear on the leaves. In order to save the long-awaited crop of apricots, it is important to identify this disease in a timely manner and immediately proceed to decisive action aimed at combating it. Otherwise, prematurely crumbling fruits will serve as the main reason
Brown Spot Of Cucumber Leaves
Brown spot of cucumber leaves, also called olive spot or cladosporiosis, as a rule, attacks cucumbers grown at rather high air humidity in greenhouses. The spread of this scourge occurs through seeds infected with the spores of the fungus-pathogen. Very often, the development of the disease can be observed in fruits. In order to avoid significant crop losses, it is important to timely identify brown spot and take the necessary measures against it
