2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Healthy onions are the dream of any gardener. However, this dream does not always come true. Various diseases and pests can cause incredible harm to onions, they dramatically reduce the quality and quantity of the crop, physiological processes are disrupted in infected feathers and bulbs, which as a result leads to the death of individual parts of the plant, slowing down development and growth, and sometimes inevitable death
If sanitization is not carried out in a timely manner and a stubborn struggle is not carried out, diseases and pests can nullify all the efforts of the gardener, spoiling and ruining the entire onion crop. To avoid these troubles, it is necessary to carefully study the information about the most dangerous and common diseases and pests of onions and methods of dealing with them.
Onion diseases and methods of dealing with them
Downy mildew (or downy mildew) - a common fungal disease that manifests itself on the feathers of onions in the form of pale green spots, which over time become covered with a grayish-purple bloom. The upper part of the feathers turns yellow and dies off. The disease spreads especially quickly in warm and humid weather. The fungus easily tolerates cold winters in soil or on plant debris, as well as in bulbs during storage.
Fight against peronosporosis: before planting, the onion sets are warmed up in water, the temperature of which should be 30-35C. When the onion feathers reach a height of 8-10 cm, the plants are treated with a solution of copper oxychloride (10 liters of water, 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and 1 tablespoon of copper oxychloride). Weeding and loosening should be carried out regularly, and thinning, if necessary, because the culture has a negative attitude towards thickened plantings.
When the first signs of peronosporosis are detected, watering and feeding with nitrogen fertilizers are completely stopped, the plants are sprayed with the preparation "Fitosporin". If possible, the onions are harvested, the feathers are collected and burned, and the bulbs are dried first under the sun, then under a canopy. It is not recommended to grow onions in the same place the next year; it is better to wait 3-4 years.
Rust - a fungal disease that manifests itself on the feathers of onions in the form of light yellow spots, slightly convex pads, which turn black as a result. Spores of the fungus can persist for a long period on plant debris and in the soil.
Rust control: crop rotation should be observed, bulbs should be warmed up before planting or storing. To prevent the spread of rust, plants are sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid or copper-containing preparations. It is advisable to carry out the processing twice.
Mosaic - a viral disease that manifests itself on onion feathers in the form of small yellowish-white spots arranged in stripes. Feathers later wither and dry up. The bulbs acquire an elongated shape, do not reach full maturity, and germinate in autumn. The virus of the disease persists for a long time in the bulbs, it is transmitted only with plant sap. Carriers of the virus are nematodes, ticks and aphids.
Mosaic control: after harvesting and laying it for storage, the bulbs are heated at a temperature of 40C for 10-12 hours. They also carry out preventive treatments of plants with Bordeaux liquid or copper oxychloride solution, remove diseased plants in a timely manner, observe crop rotation.
Onion pests and ways to deal with them
Onion fly - a common pest, the larvae of which penetrate the bulb and infect it. As a result, the bulb rots and the plant withers. Onion fly years begin in the second decade of May, the insect lays eggs on onion scales or soil.
Fighting onion flies: it is necessary to follow the rules for planting onions and sowing dates. If a pest is found, the plants and the soil around are sprinkled with wood ash, tobacco dust and ground pepper. 3-5 days after pollination, the soil is thoroughly loosened, and the treatment is repeated again.
Effectively in the fight against onion fly larvae, spraying with a tobacco solution (for 3 liters of water - 200 g of tobacco dust and 1 tablespoon of liquid soap), filter the resulting infusion and process the onion and soil. Immediately after harvesting, plant residues are removed, and the ridges are carefully dug up.
Onion thrips - a harmful insect with a narrow dark brown body and fringed wings. The pest itself and its larvae suck the sap from the plants, as a result of which silvery or white spots are formed on the feathers of the onion, they are strongly curved and dry out. Thrips hibernate in plant debris and soil, and feed on weeds in early spring.
Thrips control: crop rotation is taken into account, planting material is treated in warm water (35C) and in 2% sodium nitrate solution. Cleaning up plant residues and digging up the soil is no less important.
Stem nematode - white filamentous worms that feed on onion juice. Plants are very stunted, the first leaf swells and bends. The bottom of the bulbs collapses and cracks, and rudiments begin to sprout from the cracks. The bulb turns inside out, becomes loose and soft. The pest remains in onion waste for more than 2 years, becomes active when it enters a humid environment.
Fight against stem nematode: a careful selection of planting material is carried out, the seedlings are treated in warm water. Return onions to infected areas no earlier than 3-4 years later.
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