The main diseases of garlic and the fight against them

Fungal diseases

The greatest danger to the life of a plant is represented by fungal diseases. Due to the structural features of the body, they are able to survive low temperatures in winter and actively grow as soon as warm weather sets in. The most common reasons for the appearance of fungus on plants are violations of growing conditions, excessive moisture, the prevalence of weeds in the beds and non-observance of crop rotation.

Green mold of garlic

Causative agent: Pénicillium glaucum Link.

The active phase of the development of the disease is noted during the storage period of the garlic. The lower part of the bulb (bottom) is covered with small brown spots with a watery structure. If you disassemble the onion into separate cloves and peel them off, you can notice depressed spots of a light yellow color on their surface. With the course of the disease, the teeth become lethargic, soften and become covered with a light bloom, which later turns green. Spores of the fungus are spherical, microscopic, when the shell is destroyed, they actively spread inside the bulb. At the last stage of the development of the disease, the bulb becomes empty from the inside.

Black mold of garlic

Causative agent: Aspergillus niger Tiegh.

Like green mold of garlic, the disease develops when the storage conditions of the crop are violated. When the room temperature rises to 18–20 ° C, the spores of the fungus come to a state of "vigor", affecting the stored bulbs. Infection begins from the upper layers of the husk, gradually penetrating deep into the garlic, filling the space between the layers of the husk with black mold. With the course of the disease, the bulb becomes soft, and the husk is completely covered with a light black mass - the spores of the fungus. The danger is that the spores quickly spread to neighboring bulbs, infecting them in a short time.

White rot

Causative agent: Sclerotium cepivorum Berk.

It is not possible to accurately determine the time of the onset of the disease. It can manifest itself at any stage of garlic development or storage. When infected during the growing season, the leaves begin to turn yellow, starting from the top, they gradually die off. The husk and roots of the plant are covered with a white bloom - this is the mycelium. There is a pathological transformation of the teeth - they become watery, quickly begin to rot. The fungus develops at low air temperatures - about 10-20 ° C. Sclerotium cepivorum Berk overwinters in soil and on diseased bulbs.

Rot of the bottom

Causative agent: imperfect fungi of the genus Fusarium.

The spread of the disease occurs through contaminated soil and untreated planting material. The disease develops quickly: first, the leaves turn yellow, which subsequently die off, then the root system of garlic begins to rot, a yellowish-pink bloom appears on the bulbs. If you look at an infected bulb, you can find mold pads, there are also fungal spores between the layers of the husk. If untreated, the plant mummifies and dies. The factor that stimulates development is an increase in air temperature.

Bacteriosis

In addition to fungal spores, the bacteria Pseudomonas xanthochlora Stapp and Erwinia carotovora Holland cause diseases of garlic. Quite rarely, bacteriosis, and this is the name of the disease caused by these bacteria, manifests itself on its own. Usually it is combined with fusarium, cervical rot or green mold, destroying the plant in a complex manner. At the stage of growing garlic in the ground, there are no visible manifestations of the disease. The first signs of the disease can be noticed only during storage - the teeth become covered with furrows or ulcers, their color changes, turning into yellow. At the site of furrows or ulcers, spores of the Penicillium fungus develop.

Bacteriosis develops on bulbs that are poorly dried before storage. Also, the development is facilitated by the high air temperature and high humidity in the room where the garlic is stored.

Disease Control Methods of Garlic

Diseases of garlic can be prevented by properly preparing the area where it will be planted and the seed itself. The first step is to understand that without preventive procedures, plants have very little chance of avoiding all diseases. Despite the fact that breeders are developing new types of garlic with high immunity, this does not give a 100% guarantee.

During the autumn digging of the site, as well as in the spring before planting, it is necessary to treat the soil with fungicides. You can use drugs "Acrobat", "Radomil Gold", "Fitosporin", "Topsin-M". It is best to combine them with a solution of copper sulfate, potassium permanganate, Bordeaux mixture. You can also use a solution consisting of 0.2 g of boric acid, 1 g of copper sulfate and potassium permanganate, diluted in 1 liter of water. The fight against fungal diseases is possible with the help of infusions of yarrow and calendula.

In addition to drugs, you should monitor the absence of weeds in the garden bed, moderate soil moisture. When storing garlic, do not allow the room temperature to rise, and make sure that the relative humidity does not exceed 30%.

Pest control

Garlic pests are also numerous, and it is necessary to fight them immediately after they appear in the garden. Among the most intrusive should be the onion fly, which grows its larvae on the leaves of the plant. Eating the plantings, their activity leads to the fact that the garlic withers, its leaves turn yellow, and the plant itself becomes vulnerable to fungal spores. You can get rid of onion flies with a strong salt solution.

Another dangerous representative of this species is the stem nematode. Microscopic worms settle in bulbs, leaves and inside plant stems, absorbing all nutrients. The danger is that they easily overwinter in soil or plant debris, are transferred in bulbs. If the leaves of the garlic begin to lighten and curl, this is a sign of nematode breeding. It is difficult to completely rid the area of ​​nematodes. You can only harden the seeds, cultivate the site and monitor the crop rotation.

Garlic pests are numerous, and it is important to fight them at the moment when they have just indicated their presence, and not when they are already eating the last bush in the garden.

Video "Garlic without diseases and pests"

This video describes pests and diseases of the crop, as well as methods of dealing with them.