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Diseases and pests of peas are one of the main reasons for the death of a plant or a decrease in yield. For the fight to be effective, you need to be able to determine the cause of the disease and take the necessary measures.
Pea diseases and measures to combat them
Gardeners often pay attention to a plant when there are obvious signs of disease. In the early stages, the activity of bacteria and fungi manifests itself with similar symptoms, so you need to be able to distinguish them from each other.
Powdery mildew
The disease is caused by fungi of the genus Erysiphe. Most often, cases of infection are recorded in the central and southern regions of pea cultivation.
Symptoms appear at the beginning of flowering and persist throughout the season. Leaves and stems with flowers become covered with a whitish coating during illness. As powdery mildew progresses, all parts of the pea are affected. Gradually, the plaque thickens and becomes grayish in color.Leaves and flowers fall off during the disease, the stem turns brown, and the plant dies without treatment.
For powdery mildew, the use of fungicides Kolosal Pro and Prosaro is effective
Ascochyta blight
The cause of pea disease is the Ascochyta fungus. There are three varieties of it, which have similar symptoms when the crop is damaged.
The pathogen Ascochyta pisi is the cause of pale ascochyta blight. It affects beans more than stems. The disease is characterized by brown spots on peas, gradually turning pale in the center and changing color to gray-ocher towards the edge. The rim of the spots is dark brown. Infected seed material dies or produces seedlings that do not survive.
Ascochyta pinodes is the cause of dark ascochyta blight on peas. The disease affects all parts of the culture. The spots are dotted, with a convexity, from 1 to 8 mm in diameter. They are darker in the center than at the edges.
On the stems there are brown lesions of various sizes, dark brown or black. Seeds infected with ascochyta blight do not germinate well, and the root collar of pea sprouts rots.
Ascochyta pisicola causes a confluent form of the disease. The spots on the affected plants are round, light-colored with a dark border. Fungal spores are located in the center of the lesions.
Drugs such as Acanto Plus, Prosaro, Sinclair, Maxim are effective for ascochytasis.
Bacteriosis
The optimal conditions for the appearance of the disease are humid and hot weather, a temperature of at least +25-28 °C. The causative agent is the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae.
Symptoms persist throughout the season: all parts of the crop are affected.Spots appear that vary in shape and color. At first they are watery, then they acquire a pale, greenish-brown color with a dark center. The color of the entire leaf gradually changes during the disease.
As bacteriosis spreads, the plant dries out, turns yellow, and the ovary dies. Pea seeds do not ripen or are unsuitable for use.
To prevent bacteriosis, the bush must be treated with Gamair, Fitolavin or copper sulfate
Root rot (fusarium)
The disease is dangerous due to rotting and death of roots. The cause is a fungus of the genus Fusarium.
Symptoms are expressed in damage to the root system and stems. If the disease progresses quickly, the peas may die at the germination stage. Upon external examination, light brown blurred stripes and spots can be seen on the aboveground part of the crop. Gradually they darken and merge together. The plant dries out and dies from the disease.
In the early stages, fusarium can be treated with Kolosal Pro
Downy mildew
Most often, the disease is recorded in the Kaliningrad region, in the northern region and in the Caucasus. The cause is spores that have successfully overwintered in the soil.
Downy mildew affects the entire above-ground part of peas. The disease can be local or diffuse. The first is characterized by damage to the leaves: whitish or yellowish spots appear on their outer side, and a gray cobwebby coating appears on the lower part during the rainy season. Foci of the disease can also be found on stems and beans. Peas gradually lag behind in growth, the crop becomes outwardly similar to the head of cauliflower.
For downy mildew, such remedies as Fitosporin, Alirin are effective
Mosaic
The pea disease is caused by the Pisum virus 2 Smith virus. It can remain active for 45-50 days and is not transmitted by seeds.
Mosaic appears as mottling and wrinkling of leaves. First, chlorotic spots appear on them, which turn white over time. Affected pea seeds during the disease period can be identified by their intense yellow color.
There are no drugs to treat mosaic; the plant should be destroyed
To prevent the spread of the disease, you need to treat the peas with a solution of karbofos: 75 g of the substance per 10 liters of water.
Rust
The disease is the result of the activity of the fungus Uromyces pis. It affects the stems and leaves of peas. Most often, cases of the disease are recorded in the northern regions of Europe.
Symptoms of rust can be detected during the flowering period. Light brown pustules appear on the above-ground parts of the plant. Over time, the pea bush dries out prematurely from the disease, and the beans do not have time to ripen.
To get rid of rust, it is recommended to irrigate the plant with such products as Acanto Plus or Kolosal Pro
Gray rot
The cause of the disease is the fungus Botrytis cinerea Per. Its spores are perfectly preserved in soil and seeds and are activated in a favorable environment.
Gray rot can destroy the entire crop. To identify it, it is enough to examine the plant. During illness, flowers change color to brown, and fungal spores remain on their petals. Pea buds wither and fall off, allowing the infection to spread throughout the plant. Dirty green spots can be seen on the underside of the leaves. Gradually, the pea shoots begin to rot and become covered with a gray coating.
Treatment of the disease involves the use of fungicides Scarlet, Fitosporin-M.
A favorable environment for gray rot is high humidity and heat.
Pea pests and their control
Insects and beetles can cause enormous damage to crops, so the gardener must be able to deal with them. Disinsection methods depend on identifying the type of pest.
Pea weevil
The adult beetle is broadly oval in shape, black in color, with grayish hairs and a white spot on the abdomen. The pest overwinters inside the pea and feeds on the flowers of the crop in the spring.
Females lay eggs in the valves of legumes. The larvae feed on the contents of the fruit, where they transform into pupae.
To identify the pest, you need to inspect the seed. There will be dark spots on the pea shells and a hole will be visible on the surface.
To separate healthy legumes from damaged ones, simply immerse them in a solution of table salt. To do this, add 1 kg of the substance to 3-3.5 liters of water. Peas unsuitable for sowing will float.
The length of the pea weevil pest is 4-6 mm
Pea moth
The butterfly reaches 12-17 mm in wingspan. The front ones are dark brown, with white stripes along the edge. The head and chest shield are gray in color. The caterpillar of the pea pest is pale yellow in color, up to 12 mm in length.
The codling moth develops in one generation and overwinters in the soil, wrapping itself in a cocoon. In the spring it pupates, and the circle of development repeats. Peas serve as food for the pest. When the larva takes the maximum amount of nutrients, it leaves the legumes and hides in the ground.
The only way to combat the codling moth is by early sowing of early ripening varieties of peas, as well as deep digging of the soil
Pea aphid
The pest lives on wild legumes. It is distinguished by its large size, up to 5.5 mm in length. Its color is dark green, it has long juice tubes. Aphids can produce up to ten generations per year.
The pest sucks juice from leaves and shoots. Because of this, the peas begin to lag in growth, turn yellow, lose the ovary and gradually die.
If no measures are taken, then by the end of the season the aphid creates an entire colony that can completely destroy the crop.
Methods of pest control involve early sowing of peas. It is recommended to carry out timely destruction of weeds. The bushes should be sprayed with a solution of Fury. It is important to carry out the procedure no later than ten days before harvest.
Bean moth
The pest reaches a wingspan of 26 mm. Her forewings are brown, with a gray tint, a white stripe and an orange spot. Butterflies actively appear in May and cease their activity only in September. But moth caterpillars cause great harm to peas. They eat the beans completely.
To destroy the moth, it is recommended to plant early ripening pea varieties in the spring. After harvesting legumes, dig the soil deeply.
The bean moth hides in the ground for the winter.
Umbrella psyllid
A small insect of pale green color. The pest damages the leaf blades by sucking the juice out of them. Because of this, the plant lags behind in growth, and the yield of peas decreases.
The psyllid larvae are greenish-yellow
Decis, Kinmiks, Karbofos can be used as chemical pest control agents.
Colorado beetle
Despite all assurances, the insect is capable of eating not only potatoes, but also peas. This can be determined when a beetle is detected on the leaves of the crop. The pest successfully destroys the above-ground part of the plant if measures are not taken.
Effective means to combat the beetle are Actellik, Confidor
Nodule weevil
There are two types of pests: striped and bristly. The beetles have an oblong body up to 5 mm long. The striped weevil has striped elytra. The bristly appearance has cilia along the upper edge of the eye and no striping.
The pest develops in one generation per year. Beetles overwinter in the soil, preferring beds with legumes. In the spring they appear with the onset of spring. By the end of June, the number of pea pests begins to decrease. On sunny days, beetles actively climb plants and eat them.
An effective drug for root nodule weevil is Karbofos
Early sowing of peas and digging up the beds in late autumn help reduce pest activity.
Chickpea leaf miner
The pest reaches a length of up to 2 mm, it is black in color, with yellow antennae. The fly only eats chickpeas.
The pupae overwinter in the soil. In May they come to the surface of the ground and lay eggs in the leaves. The larvae suck out the sap and then move into the soil where they pupate. During the year, the pest is capable of forming 3-4 generations. As the fly becomes more detailed, the plant dries out and gradually dies.
As a control measure, it is recommended to treat peas with Fury.
For prevention, you can regularly loosen the rows. After harvesting, it is necessary to dig up the ground.
Protecting peas from pests and diseases
To preserve the harvest, it is easier to take preventive measures than to get rid of the consequences, so you should follow the recommendations:
- you cannot plant peas in the same bed for several years in a row;
- you need to regularly treat the area with legume fungicides and Bordeaux mixture;
- take into account the varietal characteristics of the plant, the nuances of its cultivation in certain types of areas;
- timely and carefully select seed material;
- dig the soil deeply in the fall.
Conclusion
Diseases and pests of peas can cause significant damage not only to one crop, but also to the area as a whole. When growing legumes, it is necessary to carry out timely prevention, and if signs of disease appear, quickly take appropriate measures.
