Blackleg - Seedling Disease

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

Blackleg usually affects seedlings of cabbage and a number of other cruciferous vegetable crops. Cauliflower and white cabbage, kohlrabi, rutabagas, radishes are not a complete list of crops subject to this scourge. Suddenly arising, it spreads through the plants with lightning speed. In order to prevent their mass death, it is very important to start the fight against the black leg in a timely manner

Disease Information

The causative agent of this unpleasant disease is a fungus of several types. Fungi live in the ground; from plant to plant, they spread at the level of the roots. The disease attacks vegetable crops at the stage of growth from seeds of sprouts, or at the stage of emergence of sprouts grown by means of seedlings. Often you can also meet with a black leg in greenhouses and hotbeds.

The disease manifests itself quite early and in separate foci. The stalks of infected plants become thinner in the area of the root collar (as a result, a rather characteristic constriction is formed) and darken. The leaves turn yellow and curl up. Diseased plants look oppressed, they can be pulled out of the soil without much difficulty.

Insufficient lighting, low temperatures, excessive soil moisture, delay in picking seedlings, lack of sufficient ventilation, as well as dense planting and too thick crops of crops are favorable for the development of the disease. It is important not to overdo it and use nitrogen fertilizers.

How to fight

To prevent decay of the root collar, if a disease is detected, all necessary measures should be taken immediately. Proper care of seedlings is, of course, the most important measure.

It is necessary to start fighting with the black leg even before sowing the seeds, carefully cultivating the land. During the picking of seedlings, as well as at the end of this event, a planting that is too thickened should be avoided. Increased temperature and humidity will also be unsuitable for growing seedlings.

Good soil preparation for planting seedlings will significantly reduce the risk of contamination. Blackfoot is partial to acidic soils, so such soils should be neutralized with ordinary wood ash. Sprinkling with ash in the earliest stages of growing also helps protect the seedlings from blacklegs.

For preventive purposes, before sowing seeds, as well as before picking seedlings, potassium permanganate (10 l - 5 g) and colloidal sulfur (5 g per square meter) are introduced into the ground. And a couple of days later, the ground needs to be watered with another baking soda solution (1 teaspoon for 2 liters of water). When the earth, having dried up properly, begins to crumble, you can start sowing seeds.

Seedlings are watered sparingly from a small watering can. You can spray them with a spray bottle. The seedlings must be dived without fail - this procedure helps to strengthen the roots, which in turn is the key to good plant nutrition.

Greenhouses, hotbeds and various film shelters must be regularly ventilated, and the soil must be periodically loosened. To dry the soil and enhance the formation of additional roots, dry sand is poured onto the plants (in a layer of up to about 2 cm). Having found diseased vegetation, it must be removed not only along with the soil, but also taking some healthy vegetation around the outbreak; the places of its growth are then treated with potassium permanganate (for 10 liters - 1, 5 g).

Seedlings are thoroughly culled before planting in open ground, eliminating all infected plants. By the way, as observations show, seedlings in peat pots are almost never affected by a black leg, so it is best to grow seedlings in them. Cassettes and plastic cups are also a good option for growing seedlings - the likelihood of damage to seedlings from an ailment will also be small.

Watering the seedlings with infusion of marigolds or onion peels is considered to be a good remedy for black leg. Used for watering and potassium permanganate (dark pink solution). Some gardeners also recommend diluting a chicken egg in half a glass of water and watering the seedlings with the resulting composition, or dilute 2 tbsp in 0.5 liters of water. spoons of kefir - such a remedy will be at the same time a good feeding for seedlings. It is also possible to save it if, by cutting off the blackened stems, root the seedlings again.

From biological products, you can use Glyocladin, Gamair, Alirin, etc. Also, seedlings are sprayed with phytosporin and Bordeaux liquid.