Moniliosis and protection of the garden from it

Moniliosis is one of the most dangerous and common garden diseases. The disease affects stone crops, a total of 12 types of trees, including:

• peach

• apricot

• plum

• cherry, etc.

Damage to fruits by rot can reach 60% depending on the culture, variety and development of the disease.

The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Monilia cinerea Bonord. Moniliosis spreads with damaged fruits, but most often with damaged planting material.

Moniliosis develops in the spring in cool and wet weather during flowering. Most often, flowers are affected by the pathogen during full bloom. During the period of petal fall and ovary formation, the receptivity of flowers decreases. Spores overwinter in last year's affected fruits and fallen leaves, which is why it is recommended to remove them in autumn.

Symptoms include sudden withering of flowers, wilting and drying of leaves, young fruiting twigs and annual shoots. Affected leaves and flowers remain on the tree for a long time.

With severe damage from moniliosis, all flower shoots die, which is why the tree looks like it is burned or frozen from frost. Spores of the fungus appear on affected branches, flowers, and fruits in the form of light-gray pads scattered randomly, in contrast to apple and pear fruit rot, where the pads are orange-yellow and arranged in concentric circles.

In June-July, moniliosis affects fruits. At first, brown spots appear on the surface of the fruit, which later grow and occupy the entire surface of the fruit. Small gray growths are chaotically located on them. The fruits shrivel, mummify and remain on the tree until spring. An affected fruit infects neighboring ones when touched, fruits with a wax coating are less vulnerable.

Methods of plant protection

Among the agrotechnical measures, fall plowing and digging up the trunk areas of trees with plowing into the soil of fallen leaves and affected fruits are effective.

• Collection and burning of mummified fruits and fallen leaves in autumn.
• Spraying plants in autumn with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid or 1% copper sulfate, 0.9% copper chloride.
• In the garden, where moniliosis damage was noticed in the summer, fungicidal treatments are carried out in the spring. Spraying is carried out at the beginning of the pink bud, after flowering and 12-14 days after the second spraying.
• Chemical fungicides: "Skor" 25% k.e. (difeconazole) with a consumption rate of 0.2 l/ha, "Champion" 77% (copper hydroxide), 4.0 kg/ha, "Horus" 75% in g. (cyprodinil), 0.3 kg/ha, "Topsyn-M" 70% z.p. (thiophanate-methyl), 3.0 kg/ha.

Biological fungicides: Sporomax™ B and Sporomax™ T in a dosage of 10-50 g/10 l of water (depending on the degree of damage).

When signs of the disease appear later (growth and ripening of berries), it is recommended to use biological fungicides Sporomax™ B + Sporomax™ T, as they will not accumulate in berries and are safe for humans.

When spraying trees against moniliosis, fungicides can be combined in a mixture with the insecticide Imexab™ (10 g/10 l of water) and the adjuvant Izomax™, since insect bites contribute to the infection of trees with fruit rot.

Cutting and burning affected and dried shoots. Pruning is done in early spring, 8-12 days after flowering. The formation of the crown can be considered one of the important technological measures in the system of protecting fruit crops from moniliosis. Affected trees should be pruned in autumn to avoid secondary infection. When cutting branches, it is worth remembering that the mycelium of the fungus in the branches moves upwards from the place of infection, so you should cut below the place of damage, capturing several healthy branches.

In June-July, a sign of damage is the rotting of fruits just on the branches. Such fruits should be removed and destroyed. In the period of ripening of fruits, it is prohibited to fight moniliosis by means of chemical protection, therefore the use of biological fungicides and insecticides is allowed.

Follow the recommendations and processing times and your garden will be reliably protected from this disease.