Over the last few years, you can observe in Polandan increase in the number of berry plantationsThis is related to the growing consumption of their fruit. We eat more and more raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, we begin to appreciate the he alth benefits of cranberries and the taste (also he althful) of blueberries.
Unfortunately, the increase in the planting of berry plants is also associated with the intensification of problems related toprotection of plantations against diseases . And the effects of diseases are a decrease in yields, lower fruit quality and, in extreme cases, the need to liquidate the entire plantation.
Fruits of berry plants
The key to berry cropsis the quick and correct diagnosis of the causes of disease states. And not only those that have already appeared on a given plantation. It is extremely important toprevent disease with prophylaxis .
Strawberries
Virtually every year strawberries are attacked by one of the three fungal diseases. It is very important to prevent these diseases from developing. One of them can cause significant yield drops. The appearance of more than one plantation may result in the need to liquidate the entire plantation.
Strawberry anthracnosis- strawberry fungus disease, which must be treated immediately after noticing. Otherwise, this pathogen will effectively destroy our crops. It can appear on flowers, young shoots or ripe fruit, on which then appear dry, recessed spots, over time with salmon-colored conidial spores.Yield losses due to this disease can be as high as 80%. Strawberry anthracnose is caused by fungi of the genus Colletotrichum, which also grow on weeds. Therefore, in the fight against this disease of strawberries, it is extremely important to remove weeds from the plantation area.
Concave stains in strawberry fruit are a symptom of anthracnose
Gray mold- this disease occurs on plantations basically every year, only to a greater or lesser extent. Symptoms of gray mold on strawberries are drying of the flowers, browning of fruit buds and soft, putrefying stains covered with a dusty coating visible on ripening fruits. Failure to protect plantations against this fungus may result in large yield losses. The symptoms of gray mold, unfortunately, do not appear quickly. If plants have become infected during flowering, the effects will not become apparent until the fruit grows. Therefore, in this case, prevention is very important in order not to lose the entire crop.
Gray mold on strawberry fruit
Fig. depositphotos.com
Strawberry powdery mildew- is a pathogen hibernating in plant debris and infection occurs in early spring through conidial spores. The symptoms of powdery mildew are a mealy, whitish coating on strawberry leaves. Infested flowers and young fruit buds die, and the tarnished fruit lose their food value. If we plant varieties that are poorly resistant to mildew, the primary protection is prevention. Spraying after harvest is also important, which will combat the pathogen before the next growing season.
In the case of powdery mildew, the preparation Topas 100 EC works great, as it has preventive and interventional effects. Its grace period is only 3 days. On the other hand,the preparation to combat anthracnose and gray mold of strawberries , which should be used as preventive and interventionist, is Switch 62.5 WG. In this case, the grace period is also only 3 days.
Raspberries and blackberries
The most common and, at the same time, the most dangerous diseases of raspberries and blackberriesinclude a group of diseases that cause shoot dieback and gray mold. These are diseases so common that you basically have to fight them every year. Gray mold prophylaxis should be carried out during flowering, and treatment against shoot dieback at the time of initial growth of young shoots.
Gray mold- the disease appears during the ripening of raspberries and blackberries and causes fruit to rot. Exactly as in the case of strawberries, also hereyou should use Switch 62.5 WG , but in the case of raspberries its grace period is 7 days.
However, several pathological fungi are responsible for the dieback of raspberry and blackberry shoots. And they can be attacked by one fungus and they can be attacked by several at once.Young shoots are particularly vulnerable to infections. Prophylactic spraying is necessary, because in dense fields, after an attack of the disease, it spreads very quickly and shoots die quickly.
Dieback of raspberry shoots
Fig. made available by Mr. Adam, our Reader. Thank you!
Currants
Currants are shrubs that are relatively easy to grow and quite resistant to diseases. However, these bushes can also be attacked by diseases, especially fungal diseases.
American powdery mildew- a disease that appears during the leaf development period, and the first symptoms are visible in April. Shoots, leaves, and later fruits are covered with a white, fluffy bloom. Consequently, the fruits are small and not very sweet, and those covered with tarnish are not suitable for consumption.
White leaf spot- white spots with a brown rim appear on the leaves. To prevent the disease from recurring, after the season, carefully rake and burn the leaves in which pathogens winter.
Falling currant leaves (anthracnose)- fungal disease which results in the loss of leaves by currant bushes. A starts with brown spots on the leaves.
Anthracnose, currant leaves
Gray mold- a gray, powdery coating begins to appear on the leaves. This disease spreads very quickly, so you also need to react quickly when you notice it. Affected shoots should be removed, burned and the bushes should be sprayed.
Cranberry
Cranberry bushes are highly disease resistant . However, these shrubs can also be attacked by cranberry gray mold, resulting in a gray coating on berries, shoots and plant leaves, and consequently fruit rot.
Another disease that can overwhelm cranberry plantations iscranberry anthracnose , then the leaves begin to discolor and become tiny spots, and the shoots begin to die.
Cranberry may also suffer fromdieback of cranberry shootsThis disease most often manifests itself in the second half of summer, when single, one-year-old cranberry shoots die off. If left untreated, whole plants may die.
Spraying Switch 625 WGis helpful for all three cranberry diseases mentioned here. It is the only protective agent available on the market with such a wide range of action against cranberry diseases. Therefore, it is ideal for use in the cultivation of this plant.
American blueberry
American blueberry is a shrub that is more and more often found in home gardens. It is also grown more and more on an industrial scale for its very tasty and he althy fruit. However, its cultivation is very demanding, becauseshrubs are exposed to many diseases and pests
Blueberry bushes are most often attacked by gray mold The first symptoms appear on the tops of shoots that dry up forming the so-called crosier. On the other hand, necrotic spots that turn brown with time appear on flowers, fruit buds and clusters. Infected fruit, even if it does not look sick during the harvest, undergoes decay during storage.
Anthracnose- the second most common and harmful fungal disease attacking blueberry plantations. It attacks shoots, flowers, leaves and then peduncles and fruit. Fruits affected by the disease begin to rot on the bushes and then fall off.
Gang of blueberry shoots
The third place isgangrene of blueberry shootsThe disease most often affects the shoots of one-year and two-year-old shrubs. Dark brown spots with a red-purple ellipse border appear on the shoots. As the disease progresses, the bark on the affected areas turns silvery gray and cracks.Gangrene wounds spread and can cover entire shoots, leading to their dieback.
Berry bushes are attacked by many fungal diseasesThere are such as gray mold that threaten them all. These diseases should primarily be prevented by spraying.The agent that copes well with many of the above-mentioned fungal diseases of berry plants is Switch 62.5 WGIt is a granulate from which an aqueous suspension is prepared. If spraying has not been done preventively, the Switch 62.5 WG can also be used as an intervention. Its great advantage is the grace period - from 3 days for strawberries to 7 days after spraying raspberries.
