Apricot diseases: moniliosis, clasterosporiasis, scab and insects - what to do

Many gardeners are trying to grow apricots in their backyards. The stone fruit culture is famous for the usefulness of its fruits and the versatility of their use. For a good return on the harvest, it is important to know about the rules of care and understand what apricot diseases exist. Otherwise, you can not only not wait for the first fruits, but also lose the plant due to its death.

Main causes of tree disease

There are quite a few causes of apricot diseases. All of them are associated with the influence of weather factors, improper care or a disease of viral, bacterial or fungal origin.In case of he alth problems, the tree signals this with its appearance, abnormal changes appear on the trunks, fruits or leaves. By the symptoms, you can determine the nature of the apricot disease and tactics for further action.

Timely correct processing is the key to a he althy garden

Apricots are classified as horticultural crops that are not able to regulate the amount of fruiting. Excessive weight of the branches leads to their breaking off, therefore, in order to exclude such a situation, it is necessary to carry out spring pruning. The procedure is performed until the active start of the movement of juices and the formation of inflorescences. Autumn removal of branches has the right to exist, but at the same time, with the onset of early frosts, there is a risk that the plant will not have time to recover by this time and may die.

Incorrect treatment of fresh wounds causes the apricot to weaken and gum to appear.The resin attracts harmful insects that can provoke viral diseases and further weaken the immunity of the fruit tree. To exclude such a situation, the wound is treated with a solution of copper sulfate and covered with garden pitch. When pruning, it is important to pre-sharpen and disinfect garden tools to prevent damage to the bark and infection.

Don't give up spring spraying. Treatment with chemicals will reduce the risk of apricot infection at times. Modern products have a unique ability to simultaneously act against several types of pests, so it is enough to carry out one spraying to obtain effective plant protection. Apricots are processed immediately after pruning the crown, but until the wounds are covered.

Diseases of seedlings and new shoots of an apricot tree and their treatment

Many factors influence the fruiting quality of a young apricot. It is important to choose the right variety and follow the rules of planting. The tree does not like shaded and windy places, and thickening and high humidity increases the risk of fungal diseases.

On average, apricots begin to give fruit after 3 years. Often the reason for the lack of fruits is the defeat of burn moniliosis, in which the inflorescences become brown in color and dry out.

To combat these and other types of fungal diseases, spraying with a solution of copper is carried out, Bordeaux liquid is most often used for these purposes.

Danger for young apricot seedlings comes not only from diseases of fungal and bacterial origin, but also from pests. The ovaries often suffer from the invasion of the codling moth, therefore, to combat them and other harmful insects, special chemicals are used, for example, Horus.

Fungal and bacterial lesions. Ways to deal with them

Most often, apricots are affected by fungal diseases, the risk of their occurrence in a young plant increases with high humidity and excessive rainfall.Diseases of apricots and their treatment depend on the nature of the lesion. Apricot leaves can affect black spots, pustules, raids, signs of necrosis and other manifestations may appear, each of which indicates the presence of a certain disease and requires specific action.

The remedy for apricot diseases is proper care and preventive measures. A significant part of fungal and bacterial lesions is eliminated by spraying, which is carried out several times during the season. In most cases, the first treatment is performed before flowering, the second after it ends. Each subsequent one can be made every 14 days as needed.

Leaf curl

Fungal disease of stone fruits is one of the most common. The first sign is the appearance of swollen red formations on the leaves.Over time, the plates curl and twist. The fruits do not have time to ripen and die off, the appearance of the shoots is greatly modified. The disease can only be prevented by preventive measures. Fallen green mass must not be left to rot and it is required to spray Bordeaux liquid in a timely manner.

Gnomoniosis

The appearance of rot and yellow marks on the leaves may indicate infection with gnomoniasis. Leaf plates become reddish in color, turn brown and dry. Apricots do not have time to fully grow, greatly change their appearance and become "ugly". In some cases, they completely crumble before reaching maturity.

Folk remedies talk about the need to completely clean the affected area when the first signs of the disease are detected. The tree is sprayed with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or Nitrafen. A preventive measure is the spring treatment of apricot with Bordeaux liquid.

Coccomycosis

Apricot leaves are covered with reddish-brown spots when affected by coccomycosis. Over time, they grow and merge into a single whole, after which the greenery dries up and falls off. At high humidity, fungal spores may form on the back surface of the leaves, which has a whitish or pink tint. The fruits cannot fully ripen and become watery.

Unsightly spots appear on their surface, and fruits lose their presentable appearance. Apricot flesh takes on an unpleasant flavor.

Contributes to the spread of the disease high temperature and high humidity. Fungal spores are spread by rain and wind. The main way to deal with coccomycosis is preventive garden care. The pathogen overwinters in leaves and gums, so in the fall such residues are removed.In autumn, it is advisable to dig up the soil near the apricot. Reduces the risk of disease by timely pruning and crown formation.

Klusteoporiosis

Fungal disease is activated immediately after flowering, as pathogens hibernate in infected buds. Red dots on fruits and leaves are the first signs of an anomaly. On the green, light brown spots of a rounded shape form, they look as if they were pressed inward. Lesions lead to the loss of part of the leaf, so this apricot disease is often called perforated spot.

Apricot disease responds well to treatment in its early stages. For this, "Polyram" or another fungicide of directed action is used. A good preventive measure against clasteoporiosis is spraying with preparations containing copper.

Leaflet

The butterfly feeds on the leaves of fruit trees, which, after her visit, are twisted into a tube. It is there that the insect prefers to hide from dangers. Caterpillars are famous for their speed of eating buds and leaves. In summer, they turn into an adult butterfly, which lays eggs to form a new generation. Insects severely injure the apricot bark, causing gum disease processes. Caterpillars are harvested by hand, and apricots are sprayed with drugs - "Decis", "Inta-Vir".

Scab

Fungal disease is one of the most common apricot diseases. The first symptoms of the anomaly appear on the leaves of the plant, on which light rounded spots form. They are arranged in a chaotic manner and are located on the lower surface of the plate. Over time, the speck begins to turn brown and spread, often covering the stalk.A large area of lesions leads to drying and falling leaves.

Brown spots pass to the shoots and are observed on the surface of the wood. Further, the same changes are shown by fruits. On unripe fruits, they appear as gray or brown spots. With maturation, the area of the foci expands, the surface of the apricots is covered with a velvety coating, the color of which varies from olive to black. Further, cracking of the fruit and destruction of the pulp are observed. Such fruits look ugly and rot during storage.

The reason for such an apricot reaction may be the stress of the fruit tree, the reaction to weather changes, such circumstances make it vulnerable to fungal infection. The fruits burst due to scab in high humidity or when sudden temperature changes in spring. Untimely performed preventive work or its incorrect implementation can lead to illness.

The causative agent of the disease is a fungus that overwinters in fallen leaves and fruits, so plant residues must be removed.

Fungicides of the latest generation are used for the fight - "Kaptan", "Topsin". Experienced gardeners to eliminate scab on apricots irrigate and irrigate the crown with a mustard solution prepared from 40 g of powder and 5 liters of water. Some use potassium permanganate for these purposes, while the liquid should be pink in color, since if the concentration of the drug is exceeded, apricot leaves can be burned.

Moniliosis

If the apricot leaves wilted after flowering and turned brown, this may be the first sign of moniliosis. Further changes affect the fruits, which become covered with dark spots and begin to rot. The leaf plates curl up and their appearance resembles the effects of exposure to fire.

In order to cure, the apricot is treated with Topsin, Topaz or Strobe. Preventive spraying in the spring with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid will help prevent the onset of the disease. In autumn, it is required to eliminate the remains of foliage and damaged branches.

Vals fungus, verticillium

The appearance of bright orange ulcers on the trunk indicates infection with the Vals fungus. The disease leads to damage to the wood, as a result of which the circulation of juice is disturbed. The absence of waterlogging of the soil, regular pruning and treatment with fungicides when the first signs of fungus appear will help get rid of the problem.

Apricot varieties are highly susceptible to verticillium wilt. An infected tree already at the beginning of summer begins to lose foliage, the greens turn yellow and fade before falling off. The ends of the twigs become lifeless and dry up, changes from the edges begin to spread down to the center of the tree, eventually the shoots of the skeleton die.

For an accurate diagnosis of apricot disease, cut the wood and examine the appearance of its structure. An infected tree will have a speckled layer in cross-section, the specks being irregular in shape and in some cases able to form rings.

Verticillosis is difficult to diagnose and difficult to treat. The fungus is able to demonstrate expectant tactics for a long time, winter in fallen leaves and, when activated, completely spread through the tree. Preventive measures are the right choice of planting site, you should not place an apricot on the territory of the former presence of potatoes, tomatoes and strawberries. Ground fumigation or solarization required.

Cytosporosis

If the apricot leaves dry, then with a high degree of probability there was an infection with cytosporosis. A fungal disease affects the wood of the trunk, localizing in places of damage and cuts. The first signs appear at the beginning of the summer period, when, immediately after flowering, the apricot leaves begin to wither sharply, the process begins from the top of the tree, and changes are pronounced at the ends of young shoots.

The lesion is observed on the surface of the trunk and branches.

The disease of the bark looks like smudges of a brown hue, it becomes brown in color, a large number of cracks appear, from which gum oozes. Over time, the wood becomes covered with black tubercles, which in a year transform into fungal growths that have grown deep into the layers of the tree.

Apricot disease is treatable only at the initial stage. To do this, the affected branches and foci are removed, capturing 10 cm of a he althy area. The wound is treated with a solution of copper sulfate and covered with garden pitch. In autumn, phosphorus and potassium are added to the soil.

Fusariosis

Apricot he alth damage can be obtained from a fungal pathogen at any time, but the risk of infection is higher during the flowering period. On the leaves with Fusarium, depressed brown spots appear, gradually spreading to the fruits.The pulp of fruit becomes dry and rotten, the skin is wrinkled.

The disease mainly affects weakened trees, shoots with signs of mechanical injury. In order to combat infection, timely removal of branches, pruning, top dressing and spraying with special preparations are carried out. The causative agent of Fusarium lives in the soil, so the fallen leaves and the remains of vegetation around the tree are removed.

Apricot gum disease

When gum disease occurs, resin appears on the trunk of an apricot. The cause may be mechanical damage, reaction to frost stress or sunburn. The disease causes a weakening of the fruit tree and reduces the return of its crop. The damaged place is cut out, treated with a solution of copper sulphate and “soldered” with garden pitch. It is not recommended to use products based on petroleum products to cover cracks, as they are often harmful to humans and trees.

Pests and how to protect against them

The list of apricot pests is quite diverse. The invasion of such insects leads to a weakening of the plant's immunity and a decrease in the quality of its fruiting. Weakened trees are more susceptible to various diseases and are less able to withstand environmental factors.

Aphid

Multiple aphid infestations usually occur until mid-summer. Pests settle on the back surface of the leaves and suck the vital juices from the plant. Lack of nutrition adversely affects the growth of shoots and leads to their deformation. Get rid of aphids "Fitoverm" or "Fufanon".

Codling moth

Butterfly caterpillars appear towards the end of the summer period. They eat apricot fruits and go to the ground for wintering, often choosing the near-trunk territory or bark in the lower part of the tree for this. A solution of "Chlorophos" or "Entobacterin" saves from the codling moth.

Weevil

Small-sized beetles hit apricots more often from other stone fruit crops. Pests feed on greens, damage buds, inflorescences and fruits. With a large invasion of them, the tree can shed all the leaves in June. Insects wait out the winter in the bark or in the soil, so it is recommended to dig up the soil in autumn. To combat beetles, manual assembly and treatment with preparations is carried out - "Decis", "Kinmis".

Complex of preventive measures

To get a strong apricot and its good fruiting, it is important to follow a set of preventive measures. Key recommendations include:

• avoid waterlogging of the soil;
• correct and timely pruning;
• remove damaged and diseased shoots, fallen leaves and fruits;
• monitor the growth of weeds around the base of the apricot, loosen the top layer of soil in the trunk circle;
• monitor the moment when the first signs of apricot disease appear, take immediate action if they are detected.

In the spring, for the purpose of prevention, the apricot tree is treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid. A good effect is shown by the fumigation of shoots with sawdust. When pests or infection are detected, plantings are treated with directional chemicals.

To combat harmful insects, autumn digging of the soil around the apricot trunk is carried out, since larvae often choose such a place for wintering. In autumn, the trunks are whitewashed. Special types of insecticides are used to fight.

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