How To Recognize Diseases In Peanuts?

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

Growing a good crop of peanuts is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. From time to time, this useful crop is affected by various unpleasant diseases, which often lead to a significant decrease in crop volumes. How to understand what ailment hit the peanuts? To do this, it is enough to get acquainted with the main symptoms of the most common diseases

Ramulariasis

On the affected peanut leaves, numerous rounded specks of olive-brownish shades begin to appear, the diameter of which can reach 1 cm. And on the undersides of the leaves (just under the specks), dirty white sods consisting of conidial sporulation are formed. Ramulariasis almost always leads to drying out of leaves and to their gradual abscission, which cannot but affect the productivity of growing crops. On average, the peanut yield is reduced by 5%.

Cercospora

The main targets of cercosporosis are tiny seedlings and slightly older plants. Leaves of infected cultures are covered with brownish rounded specks, framed by rather indistinct edges, and such specks are equally clearly visible on both sides of the leaves. Infected leaves begin to die off slowly, and their premature dying off adversely affects the productivity of peanuts. In some years, the yield shortfall can be 15% or even more.

To avoid being affected by this disease, it is important to follow the rules of crop rotation and isolate new peanut crops from last year's. And if the ill-fated attack is nevertheless discovered, it is recommended to treat the crops with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid or with available substitutes for this remedy. Also, after harvesting, it will be useful to carry out deep fall plowing with careful filling of all infected plant residues.

Fusarium wilting

This attack does not spare peanuts in almost all areas where they are grown. In most cases, its first manifestations can be seen already in the flowering phase. First, one or two shoots begin to fade, and after some time the disease covers the entire plants. In the upper parts of the roots, gradually decaying necrotic areas can be seen, and the upper leaves of the crops attacked by the disease turn yellow and dry out.

If cabbage crops are included in the crop rotation, the susceptibility of peanuts to Fusarium will be significantly reduced.

Dwarfism

This is a dangerous viral disease characterized by yellowing and mosaic leaves. Infected crops look underdeveloped, take on a dwarf appearance, and have extremely low productivity. Unfortunately, it is currently impossible to completely cure viral ailments, so you have to get rid of diseased cultures.

Southern sclerocial rot

The lower parts of the peanut stalks affected by this ailment begin to rot, and after a while a silky whitish bloom is formed on them, densely covered with miniature sclerotia. Diseased shoots almost always break, as a result of which cultivated crops are often killed.

Dry rot

In the lower parts of peanut stalks, the formation of longitudinal brownish and rather dry spots begins, abundantly covered with a myriad of dark brown sclerotia.

Powdery mildew

When affected by this ailment, a rather delicate mealy white coating is formed on the upper sides of the peanut leaves. And after some time, the leaves in the places of its appearance turn brown.

To overcome this scourge, after harvesting, it is necessary to carry out deep fall plowing while simultaneously embedding the remains of infected plants into the soil. And at the initial stage of the disease, they are treated with approved fungicides.