2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Black cancer, which is also called "Antonov fire", is a rather dangerous disease, the consequence of which is the inevitable death of fruit trees. Black cancer affects not only tree bark, but also fruits, flowers and leaves. The most dangerous are damage to the bark on skeletal branches and on tree boles. Usually, outbreaks of such an unpleasant disease are noted after a very fruitful year. If you neglect preventive measures and treatment, then fruit trees can be lost
A few words about the disease
As a rule, black cancer attacks old weakened fruit trees that have any damage to the bark. It is noteworthy that rather strong trees are able to independently heal from this terrible ailment.
On vigorous rootstocks, fruit trees are affected by black cancer much less often than on dwarf ones. Lack of regular watering also favors the development of this disease. Often, the disease also affects those trees that grow on rather heavy loamy soils with excess moisture.
When infected with this fungal disease, at the initial stage, concentrically growing and slightly depressed brownish-purple specks appearing on the bark can be seen. The bark slowly begins to crack and turn black and looks like charred and covered with small creeps. And on the affected areas, many black bumps appear, in which harmful spores of the pathogen fungus develop. Gradually, the infected areas expand and begin to cover the affected trunks and branches with a ring, which contributes to their early death.
The leaves affected by the ill-fated black cancer begin to become covered with concentric reddish-brown specks, and after some time they dry up and fall off prematurely. And on infected fruits, depressed brownish specks form, alternating with circles of lighter shades. Gradually, the fruits shrivel, completely turn brown or turn black, mummify and are completely covered with small tubercles containing spores of the harmful fungus.
How to fight
When growing apples and pears, basic agrotechnical rules should be observed, as well as basic rules for caring for fruit trees. This means that it is necessary not only to water and fertilize them in a timely manner, but also to process them against various pests and diseases, as well as work to increase their winter hardiness. All mummified fruits should be systematically removed from the branches and actively fighting various weeds throughout the season.
Planting varieties that are resistant to black cancer is a good preventive measure. Among apple varieties resistant to it, one can note such as Papirovka, Pepin saffron, Borovinka and Cinnamon striped.
It is also very important to try to avoid mechanical or any other damage to the tree bark. After pruning the trees, the resulting wounds should be covered with ocher on clean linseed oil or garden varnish. And with the onset of late autumn, wood trunks need not be too lazy to whitewash.
In spring and autumn, it is necessary to clean the bark from fruit trees with the help of iron brushes, and immediately burn the dust formed as a result of this procedure.
The damaged areas of the bark must be cut out to healthy wood (about 2 cm). After that, the wounds must be disinfected with two percent copper sulfate, and then covered with the well-known garden var. For disinfection, it is also allowed to use a fairly saturated solution of table salt, to which iodine should be added before that (just a couple of droplets are enough). Some gardeners even use washing powder as a disinfectant. The leaves affected by black cancer are treated at the end of the flowering of trees with a solution of Bordeaux liquid.
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