August Tulip Disease

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

August disease begins to attack beautiful tulips not at all in August, but in the midst of spring. And this attack owes its interesting name solely to the fact that it was first identified in 1931 in the Netherlands on a tulip of the August variety. By the way, this ailment has one more name - necrotic spotting. The disease affects wonderful flowers with equal force both in the forcing and in the open field, therefore, in order not to lose all tulips in the garden, it is important to try to identify it at the earliest stage, because tulips attacked by the August disease are often affected by a huge number of other ailments, including and destructive rot

A few words about the disease

August disease is a viral disease caused by the tobacco necrosis virus. In addition to tulips, this disease can also be found on primroses, tomatoes, pelargonium, asters, tobacco and a number of other plants.

When infected with the ill-fated August disease, the formation of gradually drying and rapidly cracking longitudinal brownish stripes begins on the stems and leaves of the affected tulips. In varieties with red flowers, dark stripes along the veins also appear on the perianth leaves. And on close inspection, you can notice brownish depressed spots on the bulbs. Another typical sign of the ill-fated ailment is the manifestation of spotting on numerous daughter bulbs. Infection and children do not escape, since through the roots the virus penetrates from the soil into the whole plant.

The spread of the virus occurs through the spores of a fungus that parasitizes on the roots of not only some cultivated plants, but also weeds. And infection is noted through direct contact of harmful fungal spores with infected tulip roots. Since mushroom spores do not multiply in the roots of tulips, the disease is not able to spread to neighboring healthy bulbs. The virus can be transmitted artificially only if the juice of an infected tulip is applied to the leaves of a healthy tulip.

The most susceptible to August disease are tulips of early varieties. By the way, with especially severe damage, plants almost always die prematurely.

How to fight

The most important preventive measure against the August tulip disease is the strictest adherence to the rules of culture circulation - it is permissible to return wonderful flowers to their former places only after four to five years. And, of course, all planting material must certainly be healthy. By the way, in areas where diseased tulips bloomed, if the culture rotation is not observed, it is not possible to avoid re-infection even if completely healthy planting material is planted.

Good drainage is capable of preventing the development of a harmful fungus in the soil - with excessive moisture, a destructive disease spreads especially actively. Also, in order to destroy the pathogen in the soil, during its pre-planting treatment, it is recommended to include in the action plan and treatment with high-quality fungicides.

Tulips affected by the August disease must be removed together with earth clods and promptly destroyed, and immediately after the end of this event, the garden tools used for this purpose should be thoroughly disinfected. As a rule, it is disinfected in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or in alcohol. Another equally important measure is the timely elimination of weeds, as it often turns into a dangerous source of infection.

The soil left after diseased tulips must be disinfected without fail, and the soil intended for distillation must be thoroughly steamed. This is necessary in order for the mushroom spores to die as soon as possible. And only after that the land can be used for its intended purpose.