Anthracnose is a dangerous disease of your garden and vegetable garden

Anthracnose is a dangerous plant disease. It is caused by imperfect fungi Kabatiella, Colletotrichum, Gloeosporium. These fungi can seriously damage such crops as watermelons, pumpkins, legumes, grapes, zucchini, melons, cucumbers and even citrus fruits. In addition, anthracnose affects walnuts, almonds, strawberries, berry bushes - currants, raspberries and gooseberries.

This problem is a big topic on which many scientists are working, but we will try to tell you as briefly and interestingly as possible about how anthracnose manifests itself on a particular crop, how to fight it or, perhaps, get by with only prevention.

Description of anthracnose

This disease can enter a weak plant through wounds or cracks in the bark or skin, and can also be transmitted through seed material obtained from already infected plants or parts of dead plants. Anthracnose spores are easily carried by wind over long distances, can be carried by insects, water, i.e. drops of rain, dew or irrigation. The disease develops most actively and appears most often when there is high humidity of the air or soil.

Signs of anthracnose

Anthracnose usually begins with damage to the leaves: spots are formed on it, usually reddish-brown in color with a border that is usually darker in color, it can be a little yellow or darker. Over time, generally inconspicuous specks become larger and larger, growing so much that they literally connect with each other.

Sometimes symptoms of anthracnose are observed on branches and shoots at the same time. Usually these are literally pressed-in areas through which nutrients pass either with a long delay or not at all. Most often, these areas have the appearance of light brown spots of an oblong shape, which every day become larger and larger, deeper, darker, and at the final stage, a brown or dark purple rim is formed around these depressed spots.

If at this time the weather is dry and warm enough, then all places affected by anthracnose are usually covered with visible cracks, but if it rains and the air is literally saturated with moisture, then the affected stems and shoots begin to actively decay, they literally rot, break at the slightest touch or gust of wind

If the disease is ignored, the leaf will turn brown, wither, and then literally the entire aerial part of the plant will die. Anthracnose develops most actively in conditions of high or excessive humidity. Here is an ideal combination for the development of anthracnose:

air temperature +23 degrees, humidity about 87-88%
there is little potassium and phosphorus in the soil
high acid content in the soil

How to deal with anthracnose?

We know that the nature of anthracnose is a fungus, therefore, it can be fought with the help of antifungal drugs (fungicides). Fungicides change from year to year, a number of drugs are banned, but we will give examples of the most effective against anthracnose - these are Cuproxate, Oxychom (quite safe, based on copper, but it may not help), Acrobat MC, actually copper chloride, Ridomil Gold, Previkur, Skor, Fundazol.

Do not expect that these crop protection products are all-powerful and will destroy anthracnose literally in just one treatment, it will be good if they can help at all: you need two or three treatments with an interval of one week. By the way, it is quite permissible to change preparations, not to treat with the same and to pay attention to precipitation outside the window. Yes, if it rained after processing, then all the work will obviously go to waste.

Microbiological fungicides that are more environmentally friendly, such as Sporomax™ B and Sporomax™ T, are used to inhibit the spread of infection.

Anthracnose disease - prevention

Prevention is the best treatment. Pathogens of infection can already be on the seed material that you hold in your hands, on any garden equipment that practically no one ever disinfects, but also does not wash, as well as in irrigation water (for example, in an old barrel in the garden), as well as on the wings or other parts of the insect's body.

As soon as the humidity increases and the conditions mentioned above arise, microorganisms immediately become active, the disease itself begins to progress. In order to build protection against anthracnose, it is necessary to observe crop rotation, always disinfect the seeds before sowing, even if they are collected by your own hands, remove plant residues from the vegetable garden and garden, and it is desirable to dig up the soil in such a way that large lumps are not destroyed, then the infection, hidden in the soil, it can simply freeze.

Garden tools should be washed, dried and wrapped in oiled paper, putting them in a dry and clean place for the off-season.

When copulating and incubating, do not be too lazy to take 10-15 g of ordinary alcohol with you, after each cut of the eye or cut on the tree, wipe the blade of the knife with a cloth soaked in alcohol. So you will not spread the infection.

It is quite permissible to carry out barrier treatments with fairly safe drugs. For example, in the spring, when the plants are still sleeping, you can treat them with the drug Topsyn-M, pouring into it the growth stimulator Zircon, Epin or Floriz™, and the infection may not appear at all.

Signs of anthracnose on plants

Let's talk a little about the signs of its manifestation on the main crops, including flower crops, and name exemplary options for combating this disease.

Cucumber anthracnose

The leaf, stem, fruit of the plant suffers from it, and already in the young, seedling period. You can notice the manifestation of anthracnose on a small cucumber seedling in the region of its root neck, there will be visible depressed spots that will turn into ulcers, and the seedling will simply lie down. In adult plants, yellow or brown spots appear on the edges of the leaves, initially a couple of millimeters in size, and then quickly increase tenfold.

As a result, through holes are formed at the spot of the spots, and the fungus, losing interest in the leaves, will move to the stems, completing its black business with the fruits, on which brown spots are formed that go several millimeters deep. When anthracnose is detected in the root area, 10-15 g of 1% Bordeaux liquid or 0.5% Abiga-Peak solution should be poured under the plants, but the soil should be well watered in advance. As a rule, one treatment is not enough, you need to carry out two or three of them. You can treat the leaf with biological fungicides Sporomax™ T and Sporomax™ B.

Anthracnose of tomatoes

Adult tomatoes usually suffer from anthracnose: first the upper leaves wither, as if from a lack of moisture, then spots with black sclerotia form on them. On the fruits, black and depressed areas about a centimeter are usually clearly visible, which turn black and soften over time. Professionals advise using such drugs as Poliram, Tiovit Jet, Cumulus-DF, as well as colloidal sulfur, Bordeaux liquid or copper chloride to fight anthracnose.

Anthracnose of potatoes

Anthracnose can affect both tubers and stems. These are usually light brown spots on the stems, and dark brown spots on the vaguely shaped tubers. If you miss and put such a tuber in storage, it can spoil the whole lot, because it will spread and wet rot will begin to spread. It is difficult to overcome anthracnose on potatoes, it is much easier to grow it in the same place once every four years, treat the tubers with fungicides before planting, remove weeds, and after harvesting, remove all plant remains from the site. After that, having deeply dug the soil without loosening, leave it for the winter.

Anthracnose of zucchini

This disease in zucchini affects the entire aerial part and the plant dies. If yellow-brown spots are detected on the leaf plates, treat the plants with a solution of colloidal sulfur. On zucchini, you need to use 50 g of colloidal sulfur per bucket of water, treating all parts of the plant affected by anthracnose with this solution. It is also possible to carry out treatment with Bordeaux liquid 1%, no more, good results are also achieved.

Anthracnose of watermelon and melon

Usually the stems of watermelons and melons suffer the most from anthracnose, they become excessively fragile. Affected fruits do not grow, do not accumulate sugars. Depressed, rotting spots are clearly visible on diseased fruits. When signs of anthracnose are detected, it is necessary to treat the plants with cuproxate three times, strictly following the dosages indicated on the package. The first time - during the period of the beginning of the growth of lashes, the second - as soon as the ovary begins to form, and the third - two weeks after the second treatment. But here it is important not to delay the processing: from the last processing of the season to the collection of fruits, 25 days must pass, no less.

Treatment of anthracnose on shrubs and trees

Currant anthracnose

First of all, anthracnose manifests itself on the lower leaves, where brown spots are clearly visible, which increase in size very quickly. Then the leaves dry and fall, and the disease switches to the shoots, forming depressed spots on them, which become simply wounds. As a result, white sores appear on the berries. As a rule, it is not possible to save the crop, but in autumn it is useful to treat the bushes with Nitrafen solution or 1% Dnok preparation, after which the soil should be dug up and these treatments should be repeated in early spring.

Next season, as soon as the entire crop is harvested, you can treat the bushes with 1-2% Bordeaux liquid or fungicides, if the plants were affected again - these are Tiovit Jet and Cumulus-DF.

Gooseberry anthracnose

In fact, the same actions as on currants, only more carefully with the timing of ripening, so that the drugs do not get on the berries intended for collection.

Raspberry anthracnose

On raspberries, the beginning of anthracnose is small rounded, gray-blue spots on the leaves and ulcers on the shoots. Modern fungicides help well, 1% Bordeaux liquid or copper chloride solution will help, in the amount of 40 g per bucket of water (the norm per square meter of raspberry).

Anthracnose of grapes

Anthracnose attacks grapes rarely, but, as they say, well-timed. It develops literally on all above-ground organs of the plant, but only young tissues, the age of which is no more than a month, suffer from it. At first, grayish spots with a red or dark border appear on the leaves, which grow, doubling in size, after which the leaf tissue simply falls out and a through hole is formed.

At the same time, brown spots are visible on the shoots, and ulcers are visible on the inflorescences, which leads to their death. Winegrowers write that it can be cured by processing the usual 1% Bordeaux liquid, but you cannot delay the treatment of anthracnose. The following year, without waiting for a second outbreak, the plants should be treated again with 1% Bordeaux liquid as soon as the shoots reach a length of 10 cm.

Naturally, serious winegrowers also use more serious preparations such as Abiga-Peak, Previkura, Fundazol, Ordana, Skora, and ordinary copper sulfate helps some: apparently, it all depends on the growing area.

Anthracnose of strawberries

On strawberries, garden anthracnose can "mow down" up to 85% of the entire crop. The most interesting thing is that it often flows literally invisibly and only when the plant is preparing for another world, signs of infection are revealed: small depressed spots of red-brown color are formed on the tendrils and in the upper part of the leaf, they merge into ulcers and the leaves die. To protect against anthracnose, you need to use fungicides, and treatments should be carried out three or four times during the flowering period. Drugs such as Signum or biological fungicides Sporomax™ B and Sporomax™ T at 10 g/10 l can help. Processing once every 10-14 days.

Cherry anthracnose

On cherries, anthracnose appears suddenly in the middle of summer, dry to the touch and quite hard spots appear on the berries, which can grow and cover the entire surface of the fruit. Annual sanitary pruning and treatment of the plant in the spring with 1% Bordeaux liquid, before the buds have yet woken up, helps to prevent the manifestation of anthracnose on cherries.

Immediately after removing everything down to the last berry, treat the plants with a solution of copper sulphate, for each tree you need 100 g of copper sulphate diluted in a bucket of water. After the leaves fall, be sure to remove all of them and treat the plants by dissolving 200 g per bucket of water.

Anthracnose on flowers

Anthurium anthracnose

At first, small brown spots appear on the edges of the leaves, then they grow and merge with each other and the leaf dies. It is better to remove all the affected organs from the diseased plant, then transplant it into fresh soil, and treat it with any of the permitted fungicides on an open and ventilated terrace (Scor, Previkur, and others).

Anthracnose on an orchid

The spots on the leaves look like a brand, and the edges seem to be burnt. Loose formations are visible at the base of the leaf plates. Try to cut off all affected parts. The substrate needs mandatory replacement. On a ventilated terrace, treat the orchids with Sporomax™ B and Sporomax™ T 10g/5-10l.

Fungicides against anthracnose

Here is a list of the latest, approved drugs against anthracnose (fungicides), here they are, together with their briefest description:

Abiga-Peak is a contact fungicide containing copper. The spectrum of action is wide, not only for anthracnose.
Previkur is a systemic drug that also has restorative growth activity.
Ridomil Gold is a systemic drug, with its help you can defeat not only anthracnose.
Skor is a systemic fungicide that can be used both for prevention and treatment, including against scab, phytophthora, and other diseases.
Tiovit Jet is a contact fungicide that also functions as an acaricide and can kill ticks (sulfur-based).
Topsin-M is a systemic fungicide, it can be used both for the treatment of anthracnose and for the prevention of this disease. The soil can also be cultivated with it.
Sporomax™ B is a biofungicide for the prevention and treatment of fungal and bacterial diseases. Developed on the basis of spores of bacteria Bacillus Subtilis.
Sporomax™ T - Biological preparation for protecting garden and fruit and berry crops from diseases and accelerating the decomposition of organic residues, the composition includes spores of the antagonist fungus Trichoderma harzianum. It is also used to disinfect the soil before planting and sowing crops, as well as after cleaning plants.
Fundazol is the broadest systemic fungicide, often used as a seed poison, can treat and protect, but pests quickly get used to it.
Strobi - fights most fungal infections and (most interestingly) is considered resistant to precipitation.
Quadris is a systemic fungicide that can be used as a preventive and therapeutic agent against fungal infections.
Cuproxate - here it perfectly fights with anthracnose of grapes and is almost the best drug among those that contain copper.
Ordan is a good contact and systemic fungicide used to combat a whole range of fungal diseases.

So, we told you about anthracnose, how to recognize it and what you need to do to avoid or cure it. Have a good harvest!

Share this: