Garlic Pests. Part 1

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

Photo: Maksym Narodenko / Rusmediabank.ru

Garlic pests - very often summer residents fail to get a good harvest, various pests can become the cause of such a nuisance. We will talk about pest control methods and their varieties in this article.

The stem nematode is a very small filamentous worm colored in white tones. It is worth noting that this pest can negatively affect the condition of other plants. Infected plants have a rather depressed look, at first you can notice longitudinal very light stripes on the leaves, and over time, the leaves will begin to turn yellow and eventually dry out. A diseased plant will have a loose bulb, it will also appear wet and a pungent odor will come from it. As the disease progresses, the bottom will become rotten, and the bulb itself will completely collapse.

The nematoda can spend the winter either in bulbs or in the ground. In wet soil, the nematode begins to function at full strength again. When garlic is planted in contaminated soil, the nematode enters the plants and lays eggs in them. Both larvae and adult pests will feed on garlic juices. Actually, you can see the presence of a nematode as follows: chop the bottom and soak in a small amount of water. After that, you should drain the water and consider the garlic with an increase. Nematoda is most often found in the north, and in the south it affects plants to a lesser extent.

As for measures to combat this pest, crop rotation should be observed: garlic can be planted in its original place only after three to four years. Diseased bulbs and plant debris should always be removed. Planting material for garlic should only be grown in healthy soils. It is also necessary to select material for planting very carefully.

There is also such a pest as root and flour onion mites. The root mite is very thick and moves extremely slowly, it is white in color, while the legs and mouth organs of this mite are brown. The eggs will be white and oval in shape. With the help of an ordinary magnifying glass, this mite can be easily seen. This pest will affect not only garlic, but also potatoes, and onions, and some other plants. This tick is transferred with the help of planting material, and it lives in the soil. The parasite penetrates into the bulb through the bottom, which, as a result, gradually becomes rotten.

Females will lay eggs in the bulb itself, with one individual being able to lay even eight hundred eggs. The egg develops within 4-15 days, it all depends on the air temperature. Given a temperature of 23-25 degrees, the entire development cycle of one egg takes exactly one month. From a larva, a tick turns into a nymph and goes through two similar stages. In essence, nymphs differ from adults only in size. If there is excessive dryness of the air and lack of nutrition, then another stage can be observed in the tick: the stage of the hypopus. At this stage, mites are highly resistant to various adverse conditions. At this stage, the mite will attach itself to almost any insect. During storage, garlic is most often damaged by a flour mite: this mite is very similar in development to a root mite.

Ticks are common almost everywhere, but the degree of their harmfulness will vary. This circumstance is directly related to climatic conditions. Ticks are very fond of moisture, so a large number of this parasite can be observed where precipitation is very frequent. In addition, moist soil and air humidity over 65 percent will become a favorable soil for mites. In order to combat this pest, the measures that are recommended for the nematode are suitable. However, in addition to this, you can also disinfect the places where the garlic is stored. For this purpose, fumigation with sulfur dioxide or chloropicrin is suitable. These measures should be carried out in the summer. Waste and garbage left after harvesting should be destroyed. You should also pour the planting material that is sent for storage with powdered chalk or vivianite at the rate of 20-25 kilograms per ton of garlic.

Continuation (Part 2) here.