Content
Carrot diseases can be of fungal or viral origin. Some of them appear during the cultivation of the crop, others arise only during the storage period of the fruit. To prevent illnesses or cope with them in time, it is necessary to study the symptoms and methods of control.
How to understand that carrots are sick
Carrot diseases are generally similar in symptoms. It is possible to determine which disease has affected the crop through careful examination. In general, the following signs allow you to understand that plantings need treatment:
- blackening and thinning of stems;
- yellow, brown, brownish or black spots on shoots and tops;
- light yellow or grayish translucent drops on the green parts - the so-called bacterial exudate;
- holes on petioles and leaves;
- light or dark plaque on the tops and stems.
If diseases develop during storage, they can be recognized by dark spots, rotten or dried areas on root crops.
Causes of diseases
Carrot diseases always develop under the influence of external factors. The likelihood of illnesses increases:
- dense plantings;
- excessive frequent watering;
- planting carrots in contaminated soil;
- non-compliance with crop rotation rules;
- lack of loosening and weeding.
In some cases, diseases develop even when agricultural practices are followed, if the seed material is initially infected with a fungus. During storage, vegetables suffer from ailments if basic conditions are neglected, as well as after harvesting too early or late.
Infections often affect carrots through cracks and wounds on the roots.
Diseases of carrots during storage
Some crop diseases during storage develop against the background of high humidity and too warm temperatures. Others appear even under normal conditions if the root crops were infected while they were in the garden.
White rot or sclerotinia
The disease sclerotinia develops most often on acidified, moist soils with an excess of nitrogen. During cultivation, it practically does not make itself felt, but appears mainly during storage.
The disease can be recognized by the appearance of soft areas on root crops. At first they are no different in color from healthy tissues, but then they become covered with a fluffy white coating and wet drops. The latter, hardening, turn into dark growths.
Sclerotinia can spread to carrots from cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage and pumpkin
White rot in garden beds can be prevented by preventative spraying with copper preparations. It is also recommended to pay attention to potassium supplements.If the disease appears during storage, all infected fruits must be destroyed, and then the cellar must be treated with sulfur bombs.
Wet bacterial rot
A fungal infection affects carrots when stored in conditions that are too warm and humid. Dark brown soft areas first appear on the tops of the root crops, then they become covered with mucus and fall inward. The crop rots quickly, and the infection can spread to healthy vegetables when stored in close quarters.
It is impossible to cure damage caused by carrot disease on root crops. It is necessary to completely eliminate the infected vegetables, and then treat the cellar with a solution of bleach, prepared at the rate of 400 g of powder per bucket of water.
Wet bacterial rot can affect carrots while still in the garden and cause the tops to dry out
Alternaria (black rot)
Alternaria develops in conditions of heat and high humidity. In some cases, the disease affects the plant at the seedling stage. The stems darken at the base and become thinner, and the seedlings quickly die. But most often, rot appears during storage - dry black spots appear on carrots, penetrating deep into the fruit up to 1 cm.
The development of Alternaria blight is facilitated by excessive watering during heavy natural rainfall.
Root crops affected by Alternaria cannot be saved; all that remains is to throw them away. To prevent the disease, plantings should be sprayed with Rovral or other fungicidal agents throughout the growing season.
Dry rot (fomoz)
Dry rot affects plantings at the end of the growing season. It appears as grey-brown oblong marks on the tops, quickly spreads to root crops and can cause serious damage to the harvested crop.With dry rot, dark spots with a whitish coating appear on the tops of carrots, which gradually grow.
It is impossible to stop the negative process, so diseased root crops are simply destroyed. To prevent Phoma, the tops of carrots are removed after harvesting. In principle, regular application of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers helps prevent dry rot in the garden.
Dry rot actively develops during storage at temperatures above 10 °C
Gray mold (botrythiosis)
Gray rot often affects weakened root crops during storage - those that have had time to wither in the sun before harvesting or are slightly frozen. The disease manifests itself as moist brown areas on carrots, which over time become covered with a grayish coating and tuberous sclerotia.
Rot quickly spreads to healthy vegetables lying in the neighborhood and can destroy the entire crop. Affected carrots must be disposed of immediately. Storing the crop at a temperature not exceeding 2 °C helps prevent the spread of botrythiosis. During cultivation, the plantings must be sprayed prophylactically with 1% Bordeaux mixture.
The development of gray rot during storage of carrots is promoted by humidity in the cellar above 65%
Diseases of carrots during cultivation
Coping with carrot ailments that appear during the growing period is usually easier. Some of them respond well to treatment in the early stages. If you start spraying your plantings in time, you can save not only the crop as a whole, but also individual affected plants.
Brown spot (cladosporiosis)
Cladosporiosis affects carrots at any stage of the growing season.First, constriction stripes appear on the stems at the bottom, and brown marks with a dark border appear on the leaves. With this disease, carrot tops curl and look as if they were scalded with boiling water. Large light brown spots can be seen on ripening root vegetables, representing rotten areas.
If the disease affects seedlings in the early stages, the seedlings usually die. Mature plants tolerate cladosporiosis better, but the yield against the background of the fungus is halved.
Brown spot develops most actively at 20-25 °C
At the first symptoms of brown spot, plantings should be sprayed with fungicidal agents with a high copper content. To prevent the disease, the soil is regularly loosened and cleared of plant debris, and potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are applied.
Bacteriosis
Bacteriosis is an infectious disease that affects vegetable plantings at the growing stage. In the photo of carrot tops during disease, light spots are noticeable; they gradually increase in size and darken. Then grayish and yellowish drops of exudate appear at the base of the stems. Black stripes form on the petioles of carrots, and brownish dents and ulcers appear on root vegetables.
Carrots infected with bacteriosis emit a strong putrid odor
It is impossible to cure bacteriosis, so infected vegetables are removed from the garden. For preventive purposes, plantings must be treated with XOM three weeks after germination.
Rhizoctonia (felt rot)
Felt rot manifests itself as grayish spots that appear under the skin of carrots during ripening. Over time, a brownish-purple furry coating appears over the marks, and then black sclerotia form.When carrots become sick, the leaves turn yellow and dry out.
Felt rot develops on acidified clay soils
Root crops affected by the disease must be removed from the garden urgently. The remaining plantings are sprayed with copper oxychloride, and the soil is limed.
Powdery mildew
A common carrot disease occurs most often in hot and dry weather with a lack of moisture. A powdery light coating forms on the tops, which gradually turns gray and then becomes covered with black and dark brown dots. Affected leaves dry out and die; carrot disease during cultivation is also indicated by sluggish root crops that greatly decrease in size.
Powdery mildew can spread to carrots from celery and related crops
In the initial stages, the disease is treatable. Carrot plantings must be sprayed with Fitosporin-M, ash or iodine solutions. Treatments are carried out 3-4 times in a row at intervals of several days.
Red rot
Among the diseases of carrots with photos with humidity above normal, you can find red rot. When infected with a fungus, depressed grayish marks with purple dots appear on root crops. As the disease develops, the tops turn yellow and dry out, and the vegetables become covered with a bright purple coating.
Affected root vegetables cannot be eaten - they must be dug up and destroyed. A good prevention of red rot is following the rules of crop rotation and regular liming of the soil.
Red rot can occur during storage of vegetables at elevated temperatures and humidity.
Root deformation
Root deformation develops against the background of nematode damage to the crop, insufficient watering, or due to mechanical damage to root crops during weeding. Carrots grow forked or crooked, their taste characteristics decrease, and juiciness is lost.
Root deformation cannot be considered a full-fledged disease, but it is still necessary to fight it. In order for carrots to grow evenly and neatly, you should pay attention to liming the soil and control soil moisture shortly before harvesting - the beds should not dry out. At the beginning of the growing season, you should not overfeed the seedlings with nitrogen.
Carrot roots often become bent when the crop is planted in too cold soil.
Soft bacterial rot or bacterial canker
A dangerous bacterial disease causes carrots to rot before harvest. Soft white growths appear on root vegetables, which gradually harden and darken, and then collapse, leading to the death of the vegetable. In some cases, the disease manifests itself during storage - in this case, the entire crop may suffer, since bacterial cancer spreads quickly.
To prevent the disease, it is necessary to treat the soil with fungicides even before planting carrots. The harvested crop should be kept in a cool, dry place and sorted regularly, removing rotten vegetables in a timely manner.
When growing carrots, you can recognize bacterial cancer by the darkening of the leaves and the appearance of mucus on them.
Cercospora
Fungal disease develops in conditions of high humidity and low temperatures. The tops become covered with brown spots with a light center; gradually these marks grow and fade. The leaves become deformed and dry out.A gray coating forms on the surface of the spots; after it covers the entire tops, the greens turn black and rot.
Cercospora blight can be combated in the early stages by spraying with fungicidal preparations. As a preventative measure, it is necessary to monitor the degree of soil moisture - carrots should not grow in waterlogged soil.
With cercospora blight, the crop does not die completely, but suffers because the carrots grow wrinkled and small
Prevention measures
Most carrot diseases are easier to prevent than to treat. To prevent plantings from suffering from fungi and infections, it is necessary:
- disinfect seeds and soil at the beginning of the growing season;
- choose varieties that are resistant to fungal diseases for cultivation;
- follow the watering schedule, do not over-water the carrots and use only settled warm water;
- do not plant crops in the same place for more than two years in a row.
Carrots must be stored at a temperature of 1-3 ° C in a dark room with a humidity level of no more than 85%. For the winter, only healthy and large vegetables without damage are harvested. They need to be placed in dry plastic or wooden boxes; it is advisable to sprinkle the root vegetables with chalk and sand mixed in equal proportions.
Conclusion
Carrot diseases can appear both at the beginning of the growing season and after harvest. Only some ailments can be treated; most of the affected vegetables have to be eliminated. For this reason, it is very important to pay attention to quality disease prevention.
