Helminthosporiosis Of Garlic

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

Helminthosporiosis usually affects white-scaled garlic varieties quite strongly. The varieties with pinkish scales are more resistant to this dangerous disease. To a large extent, the development of such an unpleasant ailment is facilitated by excessive sprinkling, so the level of humidity must be controlled. If the crops of garlic are not provided with proper care and the necessary measures are not taken to prevent helminthosporiosis, then you will definitely not have to boast of a good harvest

A few words about the disease

When infected with helminthosporiosis, sometimes called streaky spotting, slightly depressed brownish specks of the most diverse shapes begin to form on the bottoms of the garlic. As this disease develops, they gradually turn black. Exactly the same specks are formed in the places where the cloves are formed, as well as on the garlic cloves themselves, which begin to slowly rot - a dark plaque forms on their tissues.

Chlorotic spots appear on the garlic leaves, and after some time, the wilting leaves completely die off. At the same time, crops are characterized by slow growth. A little later, the disease affects the bases of the garlic heads entirely, capturing the root system. Infected areas can subsequently be mummified.

The spread of the pathogen fungus is noted through diseased soil, and it can also occur with infected planting material. On garlic cloves and heads affected by a harmful fungus, a mycelium develops containing microscopic sporules, called conidia. Such sporosity appear in the form of a dusty blackish bloom.

The defeat of garlic by helminthosporiosis is possible both during the growing season and during its subsequent storage. This disease develops best in conditions characterized by excessive humidity. And the temperature can be almost any - from five to thirty-seven degrees.

How to fight

It is preferable to grow garlic on light soils, as an option - on sandy soils. Healthy planting material is the key to the successful development of this culture. Also, it is not recommended to introduce humus into the soil in solid doses. An equally important measure is the observance of the rules of crop rotation (three- or four-year). Moreover, it is highly undesirable that the precursors of garlic were nightshade (tomatoes with potatoes) and lily (or bulbous) plants - they are also often carriers of helminthosporiosis.

To prevent the development of such a misfortune, the planting material is etched with formalin before planting - it is quite enough to take just a couple of milliliters for half a liter of water. The garlic heads peeled from the outer husk are divided into separate cloves. But the scales covering the teeth should be left. The prepared material, placing it in a bag of gauze, is dipped in a prepared solution for ten minutes. At the end of the etching, the bag is removed from the solution, the remaining liquid is allowed to drain, and then it is wrapped in a fairly dense material like a tarp. In this form, the seeds are kept for a couple of hours, and then all the cloves are scattered for airing in shaded places. As soon as the cloves are dry, you can sow them immediately.

Every week and a half, it is necessary to inspect the garlic beds for the presence of helminthosporiosis and, if diseased plants are found, immediately remove them. Garlic should not be watered abundantly, as the causative fungus reacts extremely positively to high humidity. It is strongly not recommended to fertilize it with fresh manure. But nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers will be very useful.

It is recommended to store the harvested harvest of garlic in well-ventilated rooms with a relative humidity of 65 - 75% and a temperature from zero to two degrees Celsius.