Carrot Bacteriosis

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

Carrot bacteriosis is also called wet bacterial rot. This ailment can manifest itself both during the growing season and during storage of root crops. Most often, this disease affects weakened roots. As a rule, the main harmfulness is observed precisely during the storage period - bacteriosis can easily spread from an infected carrot to a healthy one. Therefore, root crops must be systematically examined for infection with wet rot

A few words about the disease

When infected with bacteriosis, small yellow spots first appear on the lowest leaves. Such specks are located, as a rule, on the tips of leaf lobules. Further, as this scourge develops, they darken, turning brownish, and the remaining parts of the leaves acquire a yellow tint. If the disease affects the carrots especially strongly, then the leaves curl and dry out.

Weeping spots of relatively small size form on the surface of infected root crops. Most often, the development of rot begins from the tops or tips of the roots - it is in these places that the roots are most injured. The damaged areas gradually begin to be colonized by bacteria that destroy the cell walls, a huge amount of decomposition products are formed on carrots, and mucus and smell characteristic of bacteriosis appear. Roots covered with mucus become watery and lose their presentation. If the autumn is warm, then the decay will be especially strong. Bacteriosis is ferocious even at high air humidity and temperatures exceeding 3 degrees, as well as when wet root crops are sent for winter storage.

The most unpleasant bacteriosis also does not bypass the testes, in which stems with umbrellas are affected - longitudinal long spots and stripes are usually formed on them.

The spread of such an unpleasant disease occurs with the remnants of vegetation, with soil or with seeds. Carrot fly larvae are also carriers of harmful bacteria. And weed vegetation is often a reserve of bacteriosis.

How to fight

For planting carrots, it is very important to try to take seeds only from healthy crops. However, in this case, pre-processing will not prevent them. An excellent effect is obtained by keeping the seeds for ten minutes in water, the temperature of which reaches 52 degrees. You can also pickle seeds with TMTD.

When growing carrots, it is extremely important to follow the rules of crop rotation. It is permissible to return this culture to its former place only after three or four years, not earlier. You should also try not to sow carrots immediately after other umbrella crops (for example, parsnips with parsley or celery, etc.). After cabbage, garlic and onions, it is also better not to do this.

The most preferred areas for growing carrots will be areas with light soils. And to prevent the development of rot, such areas should also be characterized by good water permeability and aeration. Large doses of nitrogen fertilizers should be avoided before harvesting root crops.

In addition to loosening the soil, the introduction of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers is considered an excellent way to increase the resistance of root crops to bacteriosis. The crop must be harvested in a timely manner. If harvested early, especially when the weather is warm and dry, roots may wilt and lose turgor. And their belated digging up significantly increases the likelihood of freezing or overgrowing of root crops. So the measure is good in everything.

During harvesting, it is necessary to remove from the beds and tops in a timely manner. The collected roots must be thoroughly dried and stored at a temperature of 0 to 3 degrees. The leaves from the carrots sent for storage are cut off, leaving the petioles 1 cm long. It is equally important to protect the roots from all kinds of mechanical damage. And before laying for storage, all root crops are carefully examined, rejecting the affected ones.