2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
The dwarfism of plums, in addition to plums, can sometimes affect cherries and cherries. And artificially it is transferred to some other cultures. Infected trees are characterized by extremely weak growth and premature death. Often, this disease proceeds in a latent form, manifesting itself only on a few separate branches and covering the entire crown only at the last stage of development. It is almost impossible to heal trees attacked by viral ailments, so it is necessary to focus primarily on various preventive measures in order to prevent the ill-fated dwarfism from winning
A few words about the disease
When affected by dwarfism, the leaves on the plum grow rather uneven, narrow and small, sometimes somewhat resembling willow leaves. They quickly become brittle (as a result of starch accumulating in large quantities), slightly thicken and acquire a characteristic shine. At the very tops of the shoots, whole rosettes formed by such deformed leaves can be observed. And in varieties that are relatively resistant to dwarfism, single specks that look like rings or stripes can appear on the leaves.
On trees attacked by plum dwarfism, peduncles very rarely form, and if they do, they are also strongly deformed. The internodes on the trees are decently shortened, and the flowers are noticeably underdeveloped.
At the last stage of development of dwarfism, only narrow and small needle-shaped leaves are formed on trees. Sometimes the twigs can even be completely bare, or only tiny rosettes with willow leaves remain at their tips.
Dwarfism is a viral disease - it is caused by a virus developing and living in the cells of living organisms. And it can spread in several ways: when infected cuttings are grafted onto healthy trees, herbivorous mites, a wide variety of sucking insects, with the juice of infected crops, as well as when they are pruned without intermediate disinfection of the tools used for it. The incubation period is on average nine to ten months, but it can be shorter.
Most prone to dwarfism are plum varieties such as Renclode Italian and Renclode green.
How to fight
Since viral diseases are practically not amenable to treatment, the main measures to combat dwarfism are predominantly preventive in nature. First of all, when planting trees, it is important to use healthy and strong planting material, as well as to comply with the necessary quarantine measures. In order to prevent the spread of this unpleasant ailment, the crops grown should be systematically processed from sucking insects.
The soil for growing plums must be fertile, and care must be taken to ensure that fruit trees do not have a moisture deficit. The best soils for planting plums will be chernozems, loamy soils, as well as black-gray and gray podzolized soils. But saline and waterlogged soils will be an extremely unsuitable option.
It is better not to plant plums on soils on which nightshade crops were previously grown. No less important is the pruning and formation of trees - thickened crowns significantly weaken their resistance to all kinds of diseases. You should also remove the overgrowth that is a reservoir of aphids, as well as cut off the branches hanging down to the ground. After trimming, the entire instrument must be thoroughly disinfected with formalin (its five percent solution).
Plum trees that show signs of dwarfism must be uprooted and burned immediately.
Currently, the question of curing viral diseases by heating infected plants is being studied, but the results of such a study have not yet been made public.
Recommended:
Plum
Plum (Latin Prunus) - a popular fruit crop; shrubs or trees of the Pink family. Characteristics of culture Plum is a stone fruit crop that, with proper care, gives large and high-quality fruit yields. The crown of the plant is spreading, as a rule, spherical or ovoid, some varieties have thorns on the branches.
Plum Pests. Bark Beetles
Bark beetles occupy a special niche on the drain. Their narrow profile - eating up the dense tree shell that carries vital nutrients to the plant - makes them the most dangerous. Hidden under the upper layers, they easily endure the harsh winter conditions. What species can be found on the plum?
Plum Pests. Sawflies, Woodcutter
Many pests on the plum give gardeners a lot of trouble. There are many tricks and methods of dealing with them, but only safe ones should be used on the personal plot. Today we will consider sawflies, woodcutter weevil
Plum Pests. Weevils, Scale Insects
Plum in the garden is a bait for many pests. Everyone wants to taste the sweet pulp of berries, juicy leaves. How to protect it from harmful insects? We will answer this question in more detail
Diseases And Pests Of Plum: Plum Gall Mite
The plum gall mite causes irreparable harm to the plum with thorns. However, almonds and peaches often suffer from its invasions. Near the bases of the shoots of the first and second years, reddish-brown galls gradually form, subsequently acquiring the same shade as the shoot bark. Gradually growing together, the galls fold into rather large growths, inside which ticks quickly settle. Often, in the habitats of these harmful insects, the yield is halved. And with the secondary
