Beet growers are sure to grow in every gardener on the plot. This is a useful plant that produces delicious root crops. Without them, do not cook borsch, do not cook vinaigrette, and in winter beets support our body and protect against vitamin deficiency. Despite the fact that this is a fairly unpretentious garden vegetable, beet diseases still occur. In order not to lose the crop, you should know about them and be proficient in prevention methods.
Choose a place to land
This is the first thing a gardener should know about. Plants in the area should grow in the open area, not shade and be well ventilated. It is imperative to create an optimal diet, that is, make the necessary nutrition. Also, be sure to remove all weeds. Beet diseases most often develop when these rules are violated, as the resistance of plants to infections decreases, and favorable conditions are created for the propagation of pests.
Seedling diseases
Usually strong and resistant to any climatic conditions seedlings do not require special attention. However, there are beet diseases that affect young seedlings and seedlings. The most famous of them is the so-called root eater. This is an infectious disease, which manifests itself in the browning and decay of the roots and root neck. In affected seedlings, the stem blackens and thins. Affected seedlings die quickly.
Reasons and treatment
You can’t get a crop without strong seedlings, so beet diseases must be anticipated and prevented. Most often, this ailment develops in the lowlands, on heavy lands. In this case, improper cultivation of the soil leads to the formation of a crust, and the lack of oxygen and the increased acidity of the soil are exactly what is needed for the development of infection.
There are no specific control measures, if your young plants were attacked by a root eater, then they will most likely die. Therefore, prevention is the best defense. In the autumn liming of acidic soil occurs. For this, 0.3 kg of ground limestone per square meter is added. Freshly slaked lime can be added, but the amount must be halved.
If you missed the autumn processing, then it is recommended to make boron before sowing. The best solution is borax, which is applied based on the calculation of 3 g of borax per square meter. Beet diseases (photos of the affected plants are proposed in the article) also cannot tolerate oxygenated soils, therefore, the plantations are mulched, and after each rain they are loosened.
Fungal diseases
This is a large group of ailments that are most often difficult to correct. Beet diseases and methods of dealing with them should be known to every gardener so that you can recognize them by the first symptoms and take action in time.
First of all, I want to tell about downy mildew. It affects many vegetable crops, and therefore is known to summer residents. But on the beets, usually no one expects it, therefore, when the leaves begin to turn pale and curl around the edges, most often gardeners are perplexed. To accurately diagnose, lift the sheet: if a violet-gray coating forms on its underside, then this is powdery mildew.
The next step in the development of the disease is the blackening and death of the leaf, without which the root crop, as you know, will not be. Therefore, prevention again comes first.
Powdery Mildew
First of all, you need to make sure that the seeds are collected from a healthy plant. This can be achieved in two ways. Either purchase high-quality seed from leading agricultural companies, or plant healthy uterine root crops.
To do this, remove from the site all plants that show signs of the disease. In addition, there are modern drugs that help prevent infection and cure the plant in the early stages. These are fungicides, which are on sale quite a lot. Feel free to choose "Bayleton", "But", "Quadrice", "Topaz", "Fundazim", "Fundazol" - any of them will give an excellent result. As a preventive measure, seed treatment with formalin is well suited.
Core rot
A very insidious beet disease, and measures to combat it have to be invented, too, very sophisticated. But, as experience shows, it is also much easier to prevent. Phomosis manifests itself (as this disease is scientifically called) at the very end of the vegetative period and affects not only the green part, but also the root crop. At first, you can notice small gray spots on the leaves. However, this is only the beginning. Then they switch to a root crop, which is quickly covered with black spots. It is very important that such beets do not fall into storage, spores of phomosis can persist for a long time.
As a treatment, prophylactic measures can be proposed, such as soaking seeds in disinfecting solutions (potassium permanganate), observing crop rotation and fertilizing with potash fertilizers. If the disease appeared on some leaves, then you can trim them and treat the planting with a fungicide. For this, Benomil, Strike is well suited. If the symptoms have already passed to the root crop, then the plant needs to be burned, and the rest should be treated with a fungicide.
Leaf spotting
Many gardeners are well aware of how beets look with this ailment. Leaf diseases are much easier to diagnose, they are visible to the naked eye. First of all, cercosporosis affects the leaves and petioles. You can see how numerous roundish spots form on them. The disease is most prevalent in wet weather. With a severe defeat, the plant blackens and dies.
Ways to fight
Readers may be surprised at how many beets are at risk. Diseases and treatment depend directly on the weather: the more rain falls, the greater the likelihood of developing ailments. Accordingly, in dry and hot summers, even in lowlands and on heavy soil, all of these infections practically do not occur.
However, it is difficult to predict the weather, so the first measure is to plant beets on fertile, light soils. First you need to pickle the seeds, this will protect your plantings. In the future, for prevention, it is good to treat plantings with a solution of boron or copper chloroxide (50 g per bucket of water). If the symptoms of the disease still appear, it is necessary to immediately treat the plantings with the help of fungicides.
White and gray rot
It is not so common, but in wet weather it can cause great damage to your landings. White rot mainly affects the root neck and lower leaves. Affected tissues become colorless, watery and become covered with a cotton coating. This is the spore-bearing mycelium.
Gray rot is very similar, but in this case oval brown spots with fluffy mold appear on the leaves. It is impossible to prevent the spread of this ailment throughout the site, so first remove and burn the diseased plant, and then treat the site with fungicides. Rot is best defeated with the help of Ronilan and Rowral. The first should be diluted at a concentration of 0.1%, and the second at 0.075%.
Insect damage
Diseases and pests of beets, acting together, are very likely to deprive you of the crop. Therefore, be sure to prevent the activity of insects. The greatest harm is caused by beet flea plantings. This is a dark bronze bug that jumps a lot. It is especially dangerous for spring seedlings. With the appearance of tender shoots, he begins to actively gnaw a growth point, and then lays his larvae near the roots. Hatching beetles complete their parent's business.
To combat this pest, fly ash or tobacco dust is used. If folk remedies were not effective enough, then it is recommended to use the drug "Actofit."
Beet aphid is another pest that can rob you of your crop. It multiplies very quickly and spreads over the entire landing in a short time. Huge hordes of aphids suck juices from leaves, after which they curl and die. However, it is very easy to fight aphids today with the help of the same universal "Actofit". If the lesion is small, then you can try a decoction of onion peel (200 g per 10 liters of water). A good result is tobacco dust with soap. To do this, take 50 g of fine tobacco dust and 2 tablespoons of liquid soap, mix with a liter of water and spray the bed.
Today we examined the main diseases of beets and the fight against them. Now you can meet the spring fully prepared.