Blueberries: diseases and their treatment

Blueberries are a long-lived plant; in garden conditions, this wonderful berry can live and bear fruit for up to 60 years. The domesticated blueberry is larger than its wild relative in size, but does not yield to its taste and useful properties.

Mummification of berries

Among the diseases that blueberry is prone to, mummification of fruits is widespread, affecting the plant is the fungus Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi. This blueberry disease infects young tissues of shoots and inflorescences, the shoots turn black and die off, while the leaves dry up. Fruits of blueberry with the defeat of the fungus develop, as expected, growing to its size, but then dry. Affected berries and other parts of the plant should be removed, collected and burned. For the prevention of the disease in early spring, the plant is treated with urea, and it is mulched with a layer 5 cm thick.

Gray Rot or Botrytis

Botrytis cinerea Pers, the causative agent of botrytis, affects the entire plant.The affected parts of the blueberry are covered with brown bloom, then gray, and die. Berries are affected during storage. To fight the fungus, plants are treated with fungicides ("Fundazol" three times with an interval of a week), the affected areas are removed and burned. In the first days of spring for the prevention of blueberries treated Bordeaux liquid.

Black spot

Black spotting, or Phomopsis, excites the fungus Phomopsis viticola. Favorable conditions for the development of the fungus - the area with the landing, which is delayed moisture. The fungus infects the tissues of growing shoots; later, due to the disease, the tip dies off. Signs of damage: black or brown spots on the leaves, discolored bark, spots on the internodes. The bushes that were completely affected should be removed, the rest should be treated with compositions containing copper. For prophylactic treatment of blueberries use fungicides: "Thanos", "Chorus", "Strobe" or "Ridomil". Processing is carried out in the spring.

Stalk cancer

The causative agent of cancer of blueberry stems is the mushroom Godronia cassandrae Peck. The disease infects the leaves of the plant with red spots, which eventually grow to infect the entire shoot. The plant is covered with ulcers and dies. In preventive measures, it is not recommended to plant the berry in areas where there is high humidity, to do regular sanitary pruning, you should not get carried away with nitrogen fertilizer. Before flowering, it is recommended to treat the plant with fungicides or Bordeaux liquids. It is better to remove infected plants from the site and burn them.

Mealy dew

Blueberries are susceptible to mildew fungal disease, and if the treatment does not come in time, there is a risk of losing the entire crop. This mushroom (Sphaerotheca mors) is manifested by a white bloom on blueberry leaves. Over time, the sheet plates dry out and become gray in color, on which spores of the fungus stand out with black dots.Favorable conditions for the reproduction of the fungus - dry hot weather, interrupted by sudden temperature changes or sudden abundant precipitation. The disease is dangerous in that it reduces the winter hardiness and crop yield. Methods of struggle: treatment with chemicals - Sulfarid, Topaz, Bayleton.

Anthracnose

Another fungal parasite - anthracnose. It is characterized by appearing spotting on blueberry leaves. The leaves wither and fall off, and the berries rot and become covered with spores of the fungus - bright orange spots. Prevention consists in treating a Bordeaux mixture in early spring; use "Topsin" or "Euparin" fungicides for treatment.

Monilioz fruits

The first signs of fruit rot appear before flowering. The disease affects the tops of the branches, and then the inflorescences. Further, the fungus spreads all over the plant and at the same time looks like frozen. The only method of struggle is to remove the affected parts of the plant or the entire bush.

White leaf spot

This disease affects the leaves of blueberry, manifested in the form of round spots. The spots can be from white-gray to rust-brown in color with reddish edging.Leaves afflicted with the disease wither and fall. Prevention measures: thick layer of mulch. A diseased plant needs to be cleaned from diseased leaves and burned.

Double leaf spot

Double spotting has fungal roots. Favorable development environment - high humidity. First, a small amount of gray specks appears on the leaves, expanding with time and changing color. As a result of the sprawling brown spot, parts of the blueberry die off. The fight against the disease is the timely removal of the affected leaves and subsequent disposal.

Methods of struggle

For the prevention of many diseases of blueberry before flowering and after the plant is treated with various drugs, for example, "Spark" (10 g per 10 liters of water). Blueberries can be fertilized with granular formulations, such as "Agricola" (50 g per bush). When planting plants use varieties with high immunity, seedlings that have a certificate from the manufacturer. Avoidance of diseases will help compliance with the air and light regime, compliance with agricultural rules and rules for the care of blueberries. An effective method is the use of biological agents (Polyversum HR). If the prophylactic and biological protection of blueberries from diseases did not bring results, use more aggressive drugs.

Despite the fact that, as a garden crop, blueberries appeared quite recently, it has already fallen in love with many gardeners. The plant is unpretentious to the soil and in the further care, the only thing that can interfere with or provoke diseases is increased humidity. Choose moderately moist soils for planting, and blueberries will respond to you with a good harvest of tasty and healthy berries.