Content
Peach leaf curl is one of the most dangerous diseases that causes the greatest harm. Measures aimed at saving the affected tree must be taken urgently, otherwise you may be left without a harvest or lose most of it. Every gardener should understand that leaf curl is not only an aesthetic defect. This disease can sometimes even lead to the complete death of the tree.
What kind of disease is peach leaf curl?
The provocateur for the development of peach leaf curl is the vocal fungus (Taphrinadeformans), the spores of which penetrate into wounds and cracks in the bark, under the scales of flower and leaf buds. Activation of the vital activity of fungal spores leads to the formation of fungus. The first signs of the disease appear in early spring, during bud break. It usually develops in conditions of high humidity and low ambient temperature. The most favorable period for the development of the disease is cool temperatures (6-8 ° C) and a long spring.
Treatment of a disease such as peach leaf curl is best started in the early stages, when the first signs appear. Otherwise, the leaf buds will become infected, and the disease will begin to actively develop. First, a kind of pale green bubbles appear on the young, blossoming leaves. After which the peach leaves become dull, then turn red and curl. Affected foliage becomes deformed and thickens, becomes brittle and eventually dries out.
7-14 days after the onset of the disease, marsupial spores of the fungus begin to develop on both sides of the leaves. Their formation manifests itself in the form of a waxy coating, gray or white. The period of spraying of spores of the causative agent of peach leaf curl occurs in the last month of spring, the second or third decade. At this time, the shoots are damaged. Their growth is inhibited, they begin to turn yellow, and by the end of July they die completely.
How dangerous is the disease?
Sometimes peach leaf curl goes into a chronic stage, which is characterized by stunted tree growth in the spring and an increase in the period of their susceptibility to infection. The disease in its advanced stage leads to complete exposure of peach trunks, damage to young shoots and ovaries. The remaining fruits do not develop fully and harden, losing their taste. Affected trees are stunted in growth and their winter hardiness is reduced. Lack of timely assistance most often leads to the complete death of peaches within 2-3 years after infection.
Methods to combat peach curl
Almost every gardener who has planted a peach in his garden is faced with a problem such as leaf curling within 2-3 years. And questions immediately arise about how to treat peach diseases and how to get rid of peach leaf curl.
It is quite difficult to combat peach curl during the progression of the disease. Most often, experienced gardeners first use mechanical methods, and then they proceed to chemical treatments.
If peach leaves curl, you can use the following control methods:
- Removal and destruction of infected foliage.
- Treating the garden with chemicals (insecticides and fungicides).
- The use of folk remedies.
- Preventive measures.
Removal and destruction of damaged foliage
Mechanical control methods include removing and destroying (burning) damaged leaves and shoots. Trimming peach leaves that are spinning can be done in several stages:
- in the spring before the buds swell or in the fall;
- during the growing season, immediately after flowering;
- repeated removal of affected shoots until pathogenic spores dissipate.
Pruning affected leaves and shoots is considered the most effective way to combat curl. It is best to carry out this procedure in May, when signs of leaf curl are most noticeable. At the same time, active spread of fungal spores will not occur during this period.
How to treat peach for leaf curl
Many gardeners are interested in the question of what can be used to treat the garden if the leaves on the peach are curled. The best results are obtained by treating garden crops with chemicals. When choosing a remedy, you should focus on the period when the infection occurred, as well as when the first signs of the disease were identified.
- Spraying trees with a solution of 3% Bordeaux mixture. Conducted in the raspberry bud phase.
- Treatment of peaches immediately after flowering with fungicides in combination with insecticides. If necessary, after 10-12 days, fungicide treatment can be repeated.
- Spraying leaves during active leaf fall with a 1% solution of copper sulfate. Bordeaux mixture can be used if such treatment was not carried out in early spring.
Very often, Bordeaux mixture is used to treat peach curl, which copes well with the disease. But this method has one significant drawback - this drug is very phytotoxic. The use of the product may lead to delayed fruiting. As a result, yields may decrease.
Also, when peach is treated with Bordeaux mixture, the copper content in the foliage increases, and with the growth of shoots, the amount of heavy metal increases even more. Despite the shortcomings, the drug is considered quite effective and its use is quite justified in cases where peach curl has been observed for several seasons.
If the degree of damage is sufficiently high, then it is recommended to use systemic drugs for treatment, such as:
- "Horus";
- "Delan";
- "Skor."
Their use is acceptable both individually and in complex treatment. The treatment should be repeated periodically. Frequency of carrying out – 1 time in 10-14 days. According to experts, the effectiveness of these drugs is 98%.
You can also treat with biological products, for example, these:
- Fitosporin;
- Pentaphage;
- Trichodermin;
- Planriz;
- Guapsin.
They are non-toxic, so they can be used throughout the growing season, but in general they will not be able to completely get rid of the fungus.
Recommended anti-curl treatment regimens:
№ | Before the buds open | Immediately after the end of the flowering period | 10-14 days after flowering | After leaf fall |
1 | A mixture of biological products: · “Planriz” (50g/10 l of water); · “Pentaphage” (100 g/10 l of water); · “Trichodermin” (100 g/10 l of water) | A mixture of biological products: · “Planriz” (50 g/10 l of water); · “Gaupsin” (100 g/10 l of water); · “Trichodermin” (100 g/10 l of water). | Copper sulfate (1% solution) | |
+ fungicide “Horus” (1/2 norm) | + fungicide “Skor” (½ norm) | |||
2 | "Horus" (2 g/10 l water) | "Skor" (2 g/10 l of water)
| Lime milk (2% solution) | |
3 | Copper sulfate (1% solution) | Copper oxychloride (0.4% solution) | Bordeaux mixture (3% solution) | |
4 | Bordeaux mixture (1% solution) | Polychomus | Urea (6-7% solution) | |
Folk measures to combat peach curl
A folk remedy used to combat peach leaf curl, proven over many years, is clay. Traditionally, this natural material is used in combination with lime, which acts as an adhesive. In addition to the antifungal effect, clay serves as a kind of adsorbent. It also nourishes the plant, enriching it with a variety of nutritional elements that help fight leaf curl. Such as:
- sulfur;
- silicon;
- aluminum, etc.
Treatment with clay and lime helps improve the physicochemical and biological properties of peach and has a phytocidal and fungicidal effect. Prepare a solution in the following ratio: 4 parts clay and 1 part lime. Trees must be sprayed immediately after preparation, before sediment forms in the mixture.
Gardeners also use tobacco infusion to combat peach leaf curl. To prepare a medicinal solution, you need 1 kg of raw material, which must be dissolved in 5 liters of water. Infuse the mixture for about 3 days, after which it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:2. The prepared solution is sprayed on trees infected with leaf curl. After 7 days, the procedure is repeated.
Set of preventive measures
Preventive measures to combat peach leaf curl begin in the fall. When the ambient temperature drops to 10-15 °C. The preventive complex includes the following procedures:
- pruning affected trees and then treating them with copper sulfate or sulfur-lime solution;
- collecting leaves after they fall, followed by composting or burning, as spores of pathogens remain on them;
- soil treatment with embedding of fallen leaves, around the trunks of affected trees, as well as in the rows of the garden.
In the first ten days of March, trees should be sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate (1%) or Bordeaux mixture (3%). After a few days, it is recommended to repeat the treatment. In order to prevent the development of curl in peaches, it is necessary to plant young trees on the sunny side of the garden, in dry areas.You should also pay attention to the peach variety, choosing for cultivation varieties that are most resistant to curl.
The peach varieties most susceptible to the development of the disease are Armgold, Cornet, Early Cornet, Stark Delicious, Dixired and Collins. Other species are somewhat resistant to the occurrence of this disease.
Conclusion
Peach leaf curl is a disease that cannot be ignored. Treatment should begin as soon as the first signs of infection are detected on the trees. Treating fruit trees against diseases is a mandatory procedure when maintaining a garden. By following these simple recommendations, you can easily get rid of such an unpleasant disease as leaf curl and enjoy a rich harvest of peaches.
