Beet leaves in spots: how to process and what to do

It is a generally accepted fact that the state of the leaves can be used to judge the he alth of plants. If beet leaves are stained, than to process in order to save the crop, it becomes the main problem of the gardener. Before choosing an effective remedy, it is important to determine exactly what caused the damage - a disease or pests.

How to protect the future crop from disease

Beet leaf diseases can manifest themselves in different ways. They may appear white bloom, spots of gray, white, brown, yellow, red or brown, which eventually lead to perforation of the leaf plate and, in the future, to the death of the leaves.

Sometimes, to prevent damage, it is enough to treat seeds and root crops with Fundazol or another fungicide before planting. But, if the cause of the damage is different, this measure will not be enough.

There can be several factors that provoke the appearance of spots, dots and holes on beet tops:

1. Unsuitable soil: too acidic, waterlogged, lacking in nutrients. So, with a lack of potassium, yellow spots appear on the leaves, and with a deficiency of sodium - red. To eliminate mineral deficiency, fertilizers of industrial production or organic origin are used.
2. Insufficient watering, especially during the growing green mass of plants. In this case, cracks appear on the sheets.
3. Diseases of beet leaves of various etiologies. Most often these are fungal infections, but there are viral and bacterial infections. In this case, characteristic spots and dots appear on the leaves, the tops turn yellow and die off ahead of time. Root crops may not be visually affected, but if affected vegetables are stored, most of the crop can be lost.

In the latter case, it is important to timely identify the signs of beet leaf disease, correctly determine its cause and select the appropriate treatment. To protect plants from fungal diseases, they practice the treatment of seeds and root crops with Fundazol (10 g per 0.5 l of water) or other fungicides.

Beet diseases: signs and causes

Spots on beet leaves can appear for various reasons. Determining why the leaves have changed and look unhe althy is important in order to find the most effective method of dealing with the problem.

Brown spots on beets - what is it?

If an adult, ready for harvesting plant, leaves change color, brownish spots cover the leaf plates, and subsequently the fruits, the cause is most likely phomosis. The spots are initially small, slightly elongated. Then they merge, dark dots of spores appear on them, which fall on the fetus. Foliage withers, dries and dies.

Root becomes wrinkled and rots after storage. Dry rot starts at the bottom of the fruit and progresses towards the base. On the cut, the fruit is dark, with dark gray or brown spots. The affected fruits stacked in a heap form foci of clamp rot.

As a preventive measure, the seeds are treated with Fundazol. Young shoots are treated with fungicides such as Strike or Benomyl, copper preparations.

As a preventive measure, crop rotation is used (the gap between beet plantings in one area must be at least 3 years), timely harvesting, application of mineral fertilizers, in particular potassium and especially boron, the lack of which provokes the death of the fruit growth point and opens the gate for the causative agent of phomosis.

Since the source of infection is the remains of affected plants, they must be immediately removed and destroyed. It is best to use disease-resistant varieties and hybrids.

Why do beetroots lighten and dry young leaves?

The simplest reason for the appearance of light spots and drying of the leaves of the crop is improper watering and fertilizing. If you carry out the procedure in sunny, hot weather, the likelihood of burns on the sheets increases after contact with drops of water and nutrient solutions.

But the reason that such changes appear or appear on the sheets may be mycosis - peronosporosis (downy mildew).At the same time, some leaves brighten, become covered with a gray-violet coating on the underside, curl down, dry out and die. First of all, the central leaves in the outlet suffer. The disease manifests itself during prolonged rains and after the temperature drops below +16 ºС.

Affected shoots are treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid or 0.5% copper oxychloride solution. Spraying is carried out twice with an interval of 10 days. Before sowing, the seeds are treated with fungicides. Prevention consists in observing crop rotation, timely weeding of rows of beets and removing weeds from the site.

Beet seedlings die before they grow: what's wrong with them

Sometimes it happens that the beets, the leaves of which were the first to react to infection, die immediately after germination or emergence. This can happen if the genetic potential of the seeds is too low, the sprouts receive insufficient moisture or there is a lack of nutrients in the soil, fertilizers and fertilizing are not applied in time.In this case, the sprout will be weak and pale, why beet seedlings die early, there may be other reasons.

A disease such as a root beetle can cause the death of seedlings at an early stage. The cause of the disease are fungi or microorganisms. Most often, plants on waterlogged, heavy, clay soil suffer.

Prevention consists in regularly loosening the beds, fertilizing and top dressing.

Why are there brown spots with red edges on the leaves?

If the beet leaves become covered with brown spots with a red border, the cause is a fungal disease called cercosporosis. Most often, the disease occurs if, after germination, the maintenance of the cleanliness of the soil is not up to par.

The lower adult leaves of the outlet are the first to be affected. Initially, small brown spots appear with red edges on the front side of the leaf plate and a light gray coating of fungus spores from the inside.The spots turn into holes. As a result, the foliage dries, turns brown, twists, which leads to the death of it and the core of the outlet, and then the whole plant. Even if the beets have enough strength to throw out new leaves, the yield of root crops is significantly reduced.

The development of the disease is favored by warm and humid weather. As a preventive measure and treatment, seedlings are treated with fungicides and the soil is kept clean from weeds. You can use the fungicides Rovtal, HOM, Propiconazole for primary processing. Bordeaux mixture or other preparations containing copper for secondary, after 2 weeks.

Effective thinning of sprouts after the appearance of 2-3 true leaves, removal of weed grass and dead wood.

The petioles of beet leaves turn black: what's wrong with them

Stalks of beet leaves often turn black as a result of infection of plants with fungi of the genus Pythium - Fusarium and Debarianum.This disease is called beet root beetroot. It develops against the background of low air temperature, increased acidity and soil moisture, and its poor aeration. The need for effective control measures is high, since the root beetle can lead to the death of 50 to 100% of seedlings.

The roots are dying, the nutrition of seedlings is deteriorating. The stem in the root part becomes thinner, rots, turns black and dies as a result. Root beetle develops on young shoots. After the appearance of 2 pairs of true leaves, the plants become resistant to the disease.

To prevent the disease, there is a need for effective control measures: liming the soil to reduce acidity, using seeds pre-treated with fungicides, observing crop rotation and agricultural practices, in particular, carrying out regular loosening to improve soil aeration.

Because the spores of the fungus persist in plant litter that is not removed from the beds, it is necessary to remove weeds, affected plants and beet tops from the site in a timely manner.

Beet pests

Insects are often the cause of what is covered, beet leaves become stained, what to do in this case often depends on the type of insect. Most often, the crop is affected by the following insects:

1. Beet weevils. Insects are everywhere. These are gray-brown beetles 12-16 mm long. They infect seedlings until 3 pairs of true leaves appear - they eat and bite the cuttings. The larvae eat parts of the root crop. At the same time, the tops fade prematurely, and the fruits lose their presentation.
2. Aphids. These are small, up to 2.5 mm long insects of black or dark green color. They colonize the underside of leaves and eat holes in them. Damaged tops curl and dry out, and root crops lag behind in development.
3. Beet fleas - common and southern. Insects populate the site from early spring.The size of the fleas is up to 2.3 mm. Their body is painted dark green. Pests gnaw out the soft part of the leaf plate in spots, leaving the whole skin on the underside. Over time, these areas turn into holes. White larvae with a yellow head eat beet leaves.
4. Schitonoska, or beet bug. It is one of the main crop pests. The bugs have a body up to 7 mm in length, rusty-brown or green with black dots. The larvae of the shield beetles are yellow-green in color. Adults eat the sprouts, and the larvae eat the lower part of the leaf blades.
5. Mining moth. The females lay their eggs on leaf cuttings. Larvae - caterpillars of spring-summer generations - devour foliage, and summer-autumn ones - make moves and damage parts of the root crop.

It is recommended to treat affected shoots with organophosphate and other groups of insecticides. They also process the seeds. It is important to observe crop rotation and promptly remove plant debris from the site, on which pest larvae remain.A good result is obtained by deep plowing for the winter, which leads to the death of hibernating individuals.

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