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Cherry coccomycosis is a dangerous fungal disease of stone fruit trees. The danger is great if you ignore the first signs of the disease. If coccomycosis develops, it will affect almost all nearby trees. Over time, the plants will not be able to cope on their own due to the disruption of their natural functions, and in the next winter they will die completely. However, by taking timely, simple measures to treat the trees, the garden can be saved.
Cherry trees are more susceptible to coccomycosis than others.
Description of cherry disease “coccomycosis”
Coccomycosis is a fungal disease of cherries.Over the last century, it has spread throughout Russia, and work on its study is only just underway, i.e. the disease has not been fully studied, which is why it is considered dangerous.
Cherry disease is expressed as brown spots appearing on the foliage of the tree. Then, if nothing is done or treated, the dots grow, affect the entire foliage, and the fruits become covered with dark spots and become watery. Eating such berries is contraindicated. In a short time the foliage turns yellow and falls off, but the troubles do not end there. On fallen leaves you can see so-called spores - pale pink growths. Cherry disease coccomycosis is shown in the photo:
The first sign is red-brown spots
Signs of cherry infection with coccomycosis
At the beginning of flowering, in the spring, the first signal about the presence of a fungus is reddish-brown dots on the foliage, the so-called erosions. Subsequently, they increase in size, merging into one spot. On the reverse side of the leaf there is a pale coating and spores. In addition to foliage, berries are affected. They also become stained, warped, deteriorated and dry out.
The disease develops so quickly that it affects the entire tree by early summer. In addition to the fact that the cherry harvest will be lost, the tree may not tolerate frost in the coming winter and die. It is also important to pay attention to the fact that spores quickly spread through the air and infect other crops. The lack of measures to treat garden plants is dangerous because over time all fruit trees will become sick.
Why do cherries get coccomycosis?
Before moving on to the treatment of cherry coccomycosis, it is worth understanding the reasons for its occurrence. As you know, the fungus reached domestic gardens from Scandinavia. Just half a century ago, the first mentions of it appeared in the Lipetsk and Tambov regions. Today, coccomycosis is considered the youngest and most dangerous disease of stone fruit crops, and cherries are especially affected.
Coccomycosis spores “overwinter” in fallen leaves, then are spread throughout the area by the wind. The peak of infection occurs in early spring, in damp weather, when the temperature is approximately 20 °C. In a matter of weeks, the spores take root and infect trees that begin to bloom.
Why is coccomycosis dangerous for cherries?
Regardless of the age and fertility of the cherry tree, coccomycosis actively spreads throughout the plant, affecting leaf after leaf. When berries (or fruits of other stone fruit trees) begin to ripen, they also become deformed. In addition to external changes, irreversible internal ones begin. The tree loses its ability to survive standard wintering and becomes hypothermic. Consequently, coccomycosis multiplies on the tree, killing it completely. To know what cherry coccomycosis looks like, you should study photos and measures to combat the garden disease.
Fungal disease affects foliage and berries
How to treat cherry coccomycosis
It is worth fighting cherry coccomycosis when the first signs of the presence of fungus appear. First you need to choose a suitable method of treatment, among which there are folk remedies, prepared independently, purchased biological products or strong chemicals. In any case, care must be taken to protect the person who will be treating garden crops.
Folk remedies for cherry coccomycosis
Starting to treat cherries against coccomycosis in the spring with biological or chemical preparations is not enough. Folk remedies are designed to consolidate the positive results of treatment and increase the cherry’s resistance to fungus. With the onset of warm days (when the temperature is close to 20 ° C), make a solution of 2 kg of wood ash, 100 g of laundry soap and 10 liters of water. This mixture is used to treat the foliage on both sides, all branches, bark, as well as the soil around the trunk. The procedure is carried out weekly until the onset of heat. Otherwise, under the influence of excess moisture, the plant will overheat and get burns. Harvesting is carried out upon the ripening of the cherries and depending on the variety, i.e. from the end of June to August. Before eating, the berries should not just be washed; it is recommended to first soak them in cool water for 20 minutes.
How to fight coccomycosis on cherries with biological products
Cherry disease coccomycosis can be treated with biological products, but they are good at the initial stage of development of the disease, as well as for preventive purposes. Their job is to apply a preparation containing special bacteria to the tree, which will begin active reproduction by feeding on fungal mycelium.
Moreover, these preparations help improve the quality of berries, they are safe for the tree, and beneficial for insects. Depending on the chosen drug, it is applied at different stages. For example, “Mikosan”, Bitoxibacillin” and “Phytodoctor” are applied after flowering. "Aktofit" - during the budding period. "Planriz" - shortly before the seasonal berry picking.
Despite the fact that biological products have a beneficial effect on the cherry tree, the berries must be thoroughly washed before use.
How to cure cherries from coccomycosis with chemicals
Chemical preparations for cherry coccomycosis contain precise dosage instructions. Effective work is achieved when the diluted preparation is applied to dry foliage and left there for up to three hours.
Chemical treatment is carried out in several stages
They begin to fight diseases in early spring and continue until the buds and flowers bloom. Re-application of chemicals is carried out immediately after flowering. Then for the purpose of prevention after the seasonal harvest. Finally, in the fall, after leaf fall, a fixative chemical treatment is carried out.
It is noteworthy that they try not to apply chemicals directly to the fruits, but if the tree was so infected that they needed to be treated, the berries are eaten after about 25 days, after thorough washing.
Control of cherry coccomycosis using mechanical methods
At the first signs of coccomycosis, infected branches are cut off with pruning shears, and after each cut branch the instrument is treated with alcohol so that it does not transfer spores to healthy parts of the crop. Sections and saw cuts must be covered with garden varnish, or less often with paint. Infected parts - branches and foliage - are collected and burned, or buried in holes up to 1 m deep. At the beginning of the spring season and in the fall, the soil is loosened to improve air circulation.
Rules for treating cherries against coccomycosis
It is believed that the most optimal treatment of cherries against coccomycosis will be in the spring. Considering that active reproduction of the fungus occurs during dampness and warming, the garden is treated in cloudy weather, without wind, in the early morning. It is important to spray absolutely the entire tree - foliage on both sides, trunk, branches, entire bark and even the soil. If the weather is rainy or with a high level of humidity, due to which warm evaporation occurs, treatment is carried out more often to stop the fungus.
When can cherries be treated for coccomycosis?
Depending on the chosen processing method, cherries are sprayed several times. First, with the onset of the first warm days. Some remedies require regular weekly repetition. Others - strictly before flowering, at the moment of swelling of the buds and flowers. Then the operation is repeated after flowering. The next processing step is carried out after picking the berries. Sometimes another application is required in the fall after the leaves have fallen.
Personal protective measures
In the process of mechanical tree care, it is important for the gardener to use high-quality tools, thick gloves to avoid damaging his hands, and large transparent glasses to prevent branches and wood chips from getting into his eyes.
Chemical processing requires full worker equipment. A thick respirator mask over the face, large clear goggles over the eyes, a rubber apron and long rubber gloves are required.
To avoid drug poisoning, you need to use protection
After completing the procedures, be sure to take a shower and thoroughly wash your face and hands with laundry soap.
How to properly spray cherries against coccomycosis
Much depends on the chosen method of treatment for fungal disease.
Treatment with an ash-soap mixture is carried out once every 1-1.5 weeks, starting with the onset of the first warm days (when the temperature is close to 20 ° C), early in the morning or in the evening, so that the sun does not scorch the wet foliage. If the weather continues to be humid, treatment is carried out more often.
The use of biological products involves several stages of processing:
- In early spring, with the onset of the first warm days, when the trees awaken after wintering;
- At the beginning of budding;
- After flowering ends;
- After collection;
- Before wintering, when the leaves are dropped.
The entire tree, foliage, bark and branches are sprayed. It is noteworthy that there is no need to apply biological products to the fruits. The procedures are carried out early in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is not as hot as possible.
Chemical treatment is required when the tree is heavily infected; it is carried out in five stages, as with treatment with biological products. It is important to apply chemicals in dry weather so that the product remains on the wood surface for at least three hours indelibly.
Spraying is carried out as much as possible - all the foliage on both sides, each branch, generously the entire trunk, so that the bark is saturated with the preparation. Be sure to spray the soil around the tree to prevent the development of spores in the ground.
Prevention measures
The fight against cherry coccomycosis is carried out in the spring, but for prevention purposes it is worth starting work in the fall. When the leaves fall, they need to be collected and burned. In the autumn and spring seasons, sanitary pruning of tree crowns is carried out, which should also be burned. The cut areas are covered with the so-called garden varnish, which consists of paraffin, rosin and vegetable oil, or the finished product is purchased at a hardware store.
Young seedlings are painted with garden whitewash - a mixture of lime and vitriol. The entire seedling is covered with it for prevention and when signs of commercial mycosis are detected. If the disease is present, seedlings are painted in the fall, after pruning. In this way, the “medicine” will penetrate into the bark, where the fungus may also remain for the winter.
Cherry varieties resistant to coccomycosis
Early cherry varieties have proven themselves to be resistant to fungal disease. They begin to mature even before favorable conditions for the spread of coccomycosis occur.
These varieties include:
- In memory of Vavilov;
- Dessert Morozova;
- Early Yagunova;
- In memory of Enikeev;
- Sudarushka.
Mid-ripening cherries are also resistant to coccomycosis:
- Rastorguevskaya;
- Morozovka;
- Bulatnikovskaya;
- Silvia;
- Revival;
- Anthracite.
Late varieties resistant to fungal disease include:
- North Star;
- Tamaris;
- Robin.
Conclusion
Cherry coccomycosis is a fungal disease that affects stone fruit trees. It can be successfully stopped in the early stages of its appearance. It is noteworthy that some cherry varieties are resistant to fungus. There are various methods of processing plants - folk, biological, chemical and mechanical. By following the processing rules, coccomycosis can be easily gotten rid of, and then the disease can be prevented.
