Diseases and pests of citrus fruits: causes, treatment and control

Unsuitable growing conditions or violations of the rules of care provoke the development of citrus diseases. The defeat of plants by diseases leads to their death and a reduction in fruiting. Depending on the characteristics of the infection, appropriate control measures are required.

Citrus diseases

When growing citrus trees at home, a number of diseases are possible. Each disease is characterized by certain symptoms and has a different effect on plants.

Citrus cancer

Symptoms of the disease appear on the leaves, branches and fruits of plants.At the initial stage of development of citrus canker, small spots form on the underside of the leaves, which eventually spread to other parts of the plantations. As a result of the influence of infection, the affected parts begin to darken and die.

Anthracnose

The disease affects all terrestrial elements of the plant. Signs in the form of brown spots appear on the leaves, after which they spread to the trunk and fruits. Due to the deepening of the spots, an obstacle is created for the movement of nutrients. Under conditions of high ambient temperature, cracks appear in anthracnose-affected plants.

Scab (citrus wart)

You can detect the development of scab by the formation of translucent warts on the entire ground part of the trees. In the case of the development of the disease, the warts become larger, and the affected elements are deformed, lose nutrients and die.Fruits infected with scab fall off prematurely and lose their flavor characteristics.

Melsecco

Signs of the disease are chlorotic leaves and drying branches. Melsecco development leads to complete drying of the tree. The causes of infection are:

• irrigation violation;
• excess top dressing;
• freezing shoots;
• wrong agricultural practices.

Gommoz

When growing citrus fruits at home, gommosis affects large roots and bark. A sign of the disease is the release of gum from the trunk, branches and leaves. Severely affected plants begin to shed their leaves.

Gommosis slows down the delivery of nutrients to the shoots, so the lack of a fight leads to their death.

Light blight

Common disease late blight is characterized by the appearance of dark spots with plaque or mold. The affected elements of citrus fruits begin to die off, which is why the whole plant dies. Over time, the fruits lose their presentation and taste characteristics. Phytophthora is able to spread from one plant to another.

Melanosis

Infection of citrus fruits with melanosis leads to the appearance of small brown dots on the fruits and foliage. Due to the impact of the disease, the fruits do not reach the maximum possible size, and their shape is distorted. The most susceptible to melanosis are old trees. Damaged plant parts must be destroyed.

Mycospherellosis

The fungal disease mycospherellosis causes blistering spots on the underside of leaves. Infection leads to leaf fall and damage to the skin of the fruit. To control the disease, it is required to regularly remove fallen leaves, reducing the source of development of new spores.

Root rot

Root rot is caused by excessive soil moisture or fungus intrusion. It is possible to detect the presence of an infection by dark spots on the trunk, from which fluid is released. Over time, the bark in damaged areas breaks down and flakes off.

Tristesa

The impact of tristeza extends to all parts of citrus plantations. The primary symptom of the disease is a partial or complete cessation of growth and a change in leaf color. Gradually, the leaves and branches begin to die off, and the shoots coming from the trunk lose their strength. In some cases, there is a lesion of the tristhesis of the roots.

Pests of citrus trees

In addition to diseases, harmful insects pose a danger to citrus trees. The negative impact of pests leads to the following consequences:

• stunting trees;
• dying off of parts of plants;
• crop reduction.

The main reason for the appearance of insects is improper care.Sudden temperature changes, a pronounced aroma of fruits and the presence of plant residues in the soil also become causes.

Shield

Small insects stick to the leaves and suck the juice out of them. As a result of exposure to scale insects, the leaves gradually turn yellow, curl and fall off. If the plant is not treated in a timely manner, it will stop its development and die. In rare cases, the scale insect damages the fruits, after which they become unusable.

Spider mite

Due to their small size, it is very difficult to detect mites on citrus fruits. A sign of appearance is the formation of a thin web, with which insects cover fruits and leaves. Pests are able to hide in the ground or in leaf axils.

Greenhouse thrips

The greenhouse variety of thrips is a small pest that lives on ripening fruits and leaves, absorbing nutrients from them. Blotches and black dots form on the affected parts. Due to the impact of thrips, plant productivity is reduced, and the inflorescences are deformed and begin to fall off.

Whitefly

Citrus fruits are harmed by adult whiteflies and their larvae. Pests absorb plant juices while on the back of the foliage. Affected leaves lose strength and fall off. Whitefly larvae absorb excess juice and secrete a liquid that leads to poor photosynthesis.

Mealybug

Mealybugs leave a white waxy coating on the surface of the ground part of trees. Adults also absorb juice from young shoots, resulting in stunted growth.

Aphid

The most common pest is the aphid, which infects citrus fruits at the time of intensive development of new shoots. The insect sucks out nutrients, slows down growth and provokes early leaf fall. Settling on houseplants, aphids carry various infections.

Garden slug

Slugs occur in wet areas and gnaw through fruit and foliage. Insects hide in dense foliage and in damp shelters, crawling out to vegetation during the dark period of time.

Earthworms

The emergence of earthworms is accompanied by liquid sticky secretions that can harm trees. At the same time, insects carry out aeration of the earth, providing air flow to the roots. The presence of earthworms near citrus fruits is beneficial, therefore, if insects are found, plantings and their condition should be examined more often.

Citrus Nematode

Nematodes are parasitic worms that infect the root system of citrus fruits. Absorption of parts of the root causes inhibition of growth and further death of plants.

The main reason for the development of the citrus nematode is initially contaminated soil and lack of organic supplements.

Why do leaves curl

Twisting of citrus leaves is a consequence of the influence of a number of diseases and improper care. In particular, the leaves curl with insufficient or excessive watering, lack of top dressing and low lighting levels. Having discovered the problem, it is necessary to find out the exact cause of its occurrence and provide favorable conditions for growth.

Causes of stains

The appearance of spots of different colors on the leaves of citrus fruits is a common problem that occurs due to waterlogging of the soil or pests.Having noticed spots, it is necessary to constantly inspect the plantings - if the spots increase, it will be necessary to spray with fungicidal or insecticidal preparations.

Prevention measures

In order to timely detect the development of diseases or damage by pests, you should constantly monitor the condition of plants. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to spray the trunk and leaves with a solution of Bordeaux mixture with a concentration of 1%. It is also important to apply mineral fertilizers and biofungicidal preparations that are added to the water for irrigation.

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