Diseases and pests of cherry plum: causes and treatment, the best ways to deal with them

Plum is a fruit tree with delicious plum-like fruits. The fruits of the tree are good for he alth, have unique properties that are used in cosmetology, various diets and baby food. The plant is unpretentious, has strong immunity and high productivity. But like any tree, cherry plum can get sick. What diseases and pests are dangerous for cherry plum, how to deal with them and what measures to take to preserve the harvest of he althy fruits?

Diseases of cherry plum and their treatment

Plum and cherry plum are related plants, therefore their diseases are similar and there are quite a lot of them. Timely identified ailments can be treated, the harvest can be saved.

Perforated spotting

Klyasterosporiosis or perforated spotting is a dangerous disease of dessert cherry plum of fungal origin. The disease affects only stone fruit plants. The causative agent is a fungus from the genus Clasteroaporium carpophilum. The disease develops rapidly in conditions of high humidity, spreads rapidly and can be transferred to neighboring trees with the help of wind within a few days.

Symptoms of cherry plum perforated spot disease:

• The appearance of dark brown blotches on the leaves, which eventually disappear, a hole forms in their place.
• Red leaf edging.
• Formation of a thick yellow sticky substance on the branches, trunk and fruits of cherry plum.

The harm from clasterosporiasis is huge: productivity decreases, some of the ovaries fall off, the fruits are deformed, the trees stop growing.

When these signs are found, it is necessary to treat the diseased trees with the chemicals "Kaptan", "Tsineb", "Ftalan". The causative agent of perforated spotting can withstand temperatures up to 0 ^C.

Milky shine

During spring and autumn, when temperatures fluctuate in conditions of high humidity, stone fruit plantations are exposed to another common fungal disease - milky sheen.

The main sign by which you can immediately recognize the disease is a change in the color of the leaves from green to silver-white. Bubbles form on the surface of the leaves. Cherry plum varieties with medium or low frost resistance are especially susceptible to disease.

For treatment, a solution of copper or iron sulfate is used, the trunk and branches of the plant are washed with it, damaged leaves are removed and burned.

Moniliosis

A fungal infection caused by fungi of the genus Monilia cinerea. Moniliosis affects cherry plum in two ways:

1. monilial burn;
2. fruit rot.

The spring form of moniliosis proceeds in the form of a burn, develops quickly and overtakes cherry plum at the stage of budding and flowering. Cherry plum leaves and flowers suddenly dry out and turn brown.

Attention! Signs of moniliosis are often confused with the consequences of spring frosts. An important difference is that with this fungal disease, flowers and leaves do not fall from the trees.

Disease in the form of fruit rot develops in early autumn, when it's time to harvest. The focus of the spread of infection is the fruits of cherry plum. They begin to dry out, take on a “burned” appearance, and over time, spores of a gray fungus appear on the fruits.

If the infection is started, the fungi begin to penetrate the trunk of the tree, which can crack. Cherry plum stops growing, loses energy, other diseases join moniliosis. The keeping quality of the “surviving” fruits decreases.

From folk remedies in the fight against fungus, spraying of infected plants with mustard powder is used: 80 grams of dry mustard per 10 liters of water. Of the chemicals, Fitolavin proved its effectiveness. Spraying is carried out during the flowering period.

Marsupial disease

Plum pockets or marsupial disease is a fungal disease of stone fruit crops that can halve yields. The fungus infects the fruits, they are deformed and acquire an elongated shape. The bone does not form. The fruit remains green, covered with a white bloom, the fruit is inedible. The disease then spreads to other parts of the trees.

All diseased fruits must be removed from the trees and burned. In the spring, the bushes are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid before flowering or the Horus fungicide is used. Processing can be repeated immediately after flowering.

Coccomycosis

A fungal disease that affects the leaf blades of cherry plum. Outbreaks of infection begin in mid-June. The leaves of the trees are covered with small red-brown spots, the number of which is constantly increasing, they begin to connect with each other, then the leaf turns yellow and falls off. A white rough coating can be seen on the reverse side of the affected leaf.

In the southern regions, the disease is rare, the fungus does not tolerate high temperatures, but in conditions of high humidity and air temperature from +18 С to +23 C is spreading rapidly.

For the prevention of coccomycosis, it is recommended to treat tree trunks with lime mortar in spring and autumn. In advanced cases, chemicals are used: Horus, Topsin-M.

Pests of cherry plum and ways to deal with them

In addition to fungal diseases, fruit plantations can be attacked by insect pests that cause great damage to future crops.

Brown fruit mite

A pest capable of destroying a cherry plum tree completely. It feeds on plant juices, disrupts the process of photosynthesis and water balance in the leaves.

The size of an adult is less than a millimeter. Insects lay their eggs in the bark of trees, where they hibernate. In the spring, when cherry plum begins to bud, insect colonies awaken. For a full vegetation cycle of plants, the mite creates 5-6 generations.

The brown fruit mite avoids direct sunlight, colonies are placed under the lower branches.

Destroy pests easiest in early spring. Tree bark should be cleaned and covered with lime mortar. You can spray with biological or chemical preparations:

• Fufanon;
• Fitoverm;
• Neoron.

Note! The best treatment effect is achieved during the hatching period of the larvae from the eggs.

After the destruction of insects, it is important to feed the trees to replenish the strength taken by ticks.

Slimy Sawfly

A black larva that looks like a leech is a slimy sawfly. Eats leaves, turning them into a skeleton. The female pest reaches 6 millimeters in length, males are smaller in size than females. Reproduction of these insects occurs with the formation of white pupae.

Plum, affected by the slimy sawfly, seems withered, the foliage seems less dense. If the degree of infection is small, you can get by with folk remedies:

• Spray the trees with an infusion of chamomile and wormwood once a week for 3 weeks. The procedure should be carried out from the moment the buds are formed.
• At the time of budding by the plant and during the flowering period, spray the cherry plum with a solution of laundry soap: dilute half a standard piece in 10 liters of water.

Fitoverm and Lepidocide are suitable biological preparations. It is not difficult to identify the pest, you need to regularly inspect the trees.

Yellow Plum Sawfly

It is a thick white caterpillar that feeds on the fruits of fruit trees. In the form of flying insects, it does not pose a danger to plants, it feeds on pollen.

Caterpillars completely eat away the bones and pulp of the fruit. The pest hibernates in the form of a pale green pupa. Due to the actions of voracious larvae, the quality and quantity of the crop is significantly reduced.

Fufanon and Novaktion are treated against pests.

Eastern codling moth

A dangerous pest from the leaf roller family that can completely destroy the crop. In the form of an adult butterfly, it does not harm plants. Larvae - caterpillars feed on the shoots of cherry plum, making moves in them, can damage the fruits. The pest hibernates in the form of pupae on a tree and in the ground in the trunk circle. Because of this feature, when fighting a pest, the near-stem space is treated. Insect control methods:

• Cleaning fallen leaves and cleaning bark.
• Using insect traps during oviposition.
• Treatment of trees with edible s alt solution immediately after flowering stops.

Codling moth can be defeated without the use of chemicals. The pest is spreading quickly, action must be taken quickly.

Plum codling moth

A pest from the leaf roller family. For the cherry plum, caterpillars of pale pink color, which eat the stalks and fruits, are dangerous. The larvae eat the pulp and damage the bone into which they deposit excrement.

The methods of struggle are the same as with the eastern codling moth.

Plum Aphid

Aphids act like mites - they drink nutrients from plants. From the actions of small insects, you can lose not only the crop, but the entire orchard.

The first sign of infection is the curling of the leaves on the trees. If you look closer, you can see colonies of black insects that completely cover the leaf plates - cherry plum scab.

A folk prophylactic against aphids for stone fruit crops - planting neighboring plants with a pungent odor: dill, parsley, mint, coriander. Of the chemicals, Aktara, Fufanon, Confidor will help.

Subcortical leafworm

The danger is the caterpillars of the pest. They make moves in the cherry plum wood. Trees begin to lag behind in growth, skeletal branches dry out, and yields drop sharply.

Damaged branches must be removed and burned. Butterflies are caught with pheromone traps. Insecticides are used against larvae.

Disease and pest prevention

The list of pests and diseases that can affect cherry plum plantations is huge. To avoid dangerous ailments and uninvited guests, they carry out prevention:

• Lime tree trunks in early spring and autumn after harvest.
• Feeding plants with organic and mineral fertilizers.
• Planting fragrant herbs next to trees: dill, lavender, mint.
• Spraying the cherry plum with a soap solution or a solution of table s alt during the flowering period and immediately after it.
• Regular inspection of cherry plum plantations.

You can deal with any disease and pest, the main thing is not to delay treatment and take the right measures. He althy plantations will surely reward gardeners for their hard work with a bountiful harvest of he althy fruits.

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