Fusarium

A fairly widespread disease, Fusarium, affects both cultivated and wild plants. The causative agents of this disease are fungi of the genus Fusarium, which penetrate the plant through wounds in the root system. Seeds, soil and seedlings can be a source of infection. This disease occurs in all climatic zones.

Features of fusarium

Fusarium disease is very dangerous for many plants, because it affects their vascular system, as a result of which fusarium wilt begins to develop. Also, fungi have a negative effect on tissues, which is why rot forms on the fruits, roots and seeds. The affected plant begins to wither as a result of a violation of vital functions, and this happens because the vessels are clogged by the mycelium of the fungus, and because of its toxic secretions. In diseased bushes, flowering deteriorates, the foliage turns yellow and flies around, and the development of the root system stops, and its darkening occurs. On the cut of the stem of a diseased plant, you can see the vessels that have become dark.

The development of the disease begins with decay of the root system. Fusarium pathogens penetrate from the ground into the smallest roots, then they end up in larger roots. And then they rise along the shoots to the leaf plates, using the diverting vessels for this. Initially, the affected bush shows wilting of the foliage of the lower tier, while the edges of the remaining plates become watery, and specks of greenish or yellow color are formed on the leaves themselves. Further, there is a weakening of the vessels of the petioles, due to which the foliage hangs along the shoots like rags. If the level of humidity in the air rises, then a thin coating of white color forms on the surface of the affected foliage.

Such a disease develops most actively with sudden changes in humidity and air temperature, and even if the plant is weakened by a lack of nutrients. The following factors can contribute to the activation of pathogenic fungi that cause the development of fusarium:

• thickening of landings;
• bushes weakened due to improper care or inappropriate growing conditions;
• heavy or acidic soil, regular stagnation of liquid in the soil, which prevents air from penetrating to the root system of plants;
• planting bushes in the lowlands;
• the introduction of an excessive amount of chemicals into the soil, including chlorine-containing fertilizers;
• the planting is located very close to the industrial zone, and especially to the highway or to metallurgical enterprises;
• drying out of the root system due to too poor or rare watering;
• high air humidity and heat.

Fusarium disease of garden and grain crops

Fusarium wheat

Pathogens belonging to the Fusarium group are capable of infecting both the root system and the ears of wheat. Fusarium head blight is dangerous for all grain crops. When 7 days or a little more after the defeat of the ear, a mass of pinkish-orange conidia forms on its surface, which can be spread with the help of the wind over fairly decent distances. Ascospores are able to persist on plant debris, and they can become a source of infection for the future harvest. Massive defeat of the ear by Fusarium is observed in those seasons when warm weather and high humidity are observed during earing. In this case, the farmer can lose 20-50 percent of the crop. If a person uses grains affected by fusarium for food, this will cause the accumulation of dangerous mycotoxins in his body.

Fusarium root rot is caused by members of the group that can be in the soil for many years, but they are quickly and easily spread by water, wind and infected seeds. The defeat is observed during the emergence of sprouts from seeds, as well as during their further growth. Pathogenic fungi first enter the roots, and later find themselves in all surface tissues. The disease develops most actively under those conditions that contribute to the oppression and weakening of culture. You can understand that a plant is affected by root rot by the following signs: low seed germination, discoloration of bushes, and a slowdown in their growth, low weight, as well as almost black decayed roots. Fusarium root rot can cause a farmer to lose 5-30 percent of the crop.

Fusarium tomato

The greatest danger of fusarium wilt of tomatoes is in monoculture greenhouses. In a diseased plant, a lesion of the vascular system is observed, and the pathogens of fusarium penetrate the plant from the ground through the growth points of the lateral roots. As the disease progresses, the mycelium spreads through the vessels of the petioles, shoots, stems, fruits and stalks, and even tomato seeds are affected. The incubation period can vary from 1 to 4 weeks. The external signs of tomato fusarium can be easily confused with the symptoms of verticillary wilting, but with fusarium, foliar chlorosis is much more pronounced. At first, the leaf plates of the lower tier are affected by Fusarium, then the disease gradually rises up until the bush is completely covered by it. The first symptoms of this disease are lethargy of the upper parts of the stem, after which the leaf plates begin to curl and the petioles begin to deform. If you cut off the stem of a diseased bush, you can see that the vessels have become brown. The fact that the vessels have darkened can be seen even through the integumentary tissues. In affected tomatoes, the foliage becomes yellow or faded over time, while the veins on it become discolored.

Eggplant

As a rule, in eggplants, fusarium wilt occurs during flowering. Yellowing, wilting and drying of the foliage is observed, while at first there is a defeat of the leaf plates of the lower tier, and then the fusarium spreads to the entire bush. If you cut off the stem, you can see the affected vessels, which have become brown, while a pink bloom appears on the root system.This culture is affected by Fusarium through seed or soil, where pathogens can persist for more than 10 years. Pathogenic fungi can penetrate into the bush through root hairs if there is mechanical damage to the root system. Sick bushes sometimes do not die until the end of the growing season, however, they noticeably lag behind in growth, and if fruits are formed on them, then there are few of them, and they are small. With fusarium withering of seedlings, the development of root and root rot is often observed. The disease begins to develop most actively with increased acidity of the soil and in warmth (above 25 degrees).

Fusarium cucumber

Fusarium wilting can affect cucumbers grown both indoors and outdoors. However, for the bushes growing in the greenhouse, this disease poses the greatest danger. The first symptoms of the disease are wilting of the upper parts of the shoots, as well as individual leaf plates, at the same time rot appears on the root part of the stem. During flowering and formation of fruits in a diseased plant, the root neck and roots become brown, then cracking of the bark and the appearance of rot are observed. At the stem of a diseased bush, all vessels are also painted brown. At high air humidity, pink conidia bloom appears on the lower part of the stem. The causative agents of the disease penetrate into the plant through the wounds on the roots and root hairs, because of this it is very difficult to cure cucumber fusarium disease, since the first symptoms of the disease are detected only when the entire vascular system is already affected. The most important source of infection is the soil, in which the causative agents of this dangerous disease can persist for a long time. The disease begins to develop most actively after the air temperature rises above 10-15 degrees.

The onset of root rot in cucumbers, which is caused by fungi of the Fusarium group, can be facilitated by the following factors:

• sharp daily temperature changes;
• prolonged cold snap to 13 degrees or lower;
• high soil moisture (at least 80 percent) and air (at least 90 percent);
• poor lighting;
• The soil pH is within the range of 5–7.6.

This disease is also called rhizoctonia. With the active development of this disease, from 60 to 80 percent of seedlings can die, and the loss of cucumber yield can range from 23 to 38 percent.

Fusarium potato

Fusarium wilt damage to potatoes can occur at various stages, but most often it occurs during flowering. The development of such a disease occurs in foci, and in a hot time, when there is active evaporation of moisture, it accelerates. You can understand that the plants are painful by the following symptoms: the color of the upper leaf plates becomes more faded, while an anthocyanin color appears on their edge, as the disease progresses, wilting and wilting of foliage is observed. In the root zone, the stems become brown, and with an increase in air humidity, rot and a bloom of pink or orange appear on them. If you cut off the stem, you can see that the entire vascular ring or individual vessels are colored brown. The diseased bush withers quickly and dries up after just a few days.

Dry fusarium rot begins to develop on the tubers in the storage, it begins to spoil the potatoes from the stolon part. On their surface, slightly depressed specks of a brown-gray hue are formed, while the flesh under them dries up, becomes rotten, then over time voids appear in it, filled with mycelium. Pads of a pale pink, light yellow or whitish hue are formed on the surface of the potato. In tuber affected by Fusarium, filamentous sprouts appear during germination. Neighboring tubers are infected in a short time.

Garlic

Fusarium garlic, which is also called bottom rot, is one of the most dangerous diseases that can affect onions and garlic. Very often, this disease affects plants grown in regions with mild, warm winters and sultry summers. In such regions, due to the defeat of garlic and onions by Fusarium, the gardener can lose about 70 percent of the crop. In this case, the fight against Fusarium is complicated by the fact that onion crops can infect 8 different pathogens of the Fusarium group. Each of the pathogens has a special degree of activity, which depends on the chemical and climatic conditions. Plants are affected through the water used for irrigation, soil, diseased planting material and plant residues from the last year's harvest. When inspecting garlic cloves before planting, it is very important to remove any that have surface damage. Damage to garlic by fusarium can occur both during the growing season and in storage at high humidity and temperatures of 13-30 degrees. The disease develops most actively at temperatures from 22 to 23 degrees.

You can understand that garlic is affected by rot of the bottom by the following symptoms:

• brown stripes appear on the feathers, and a pink bloom forms in the leaf sinuses;
• rot appears on the roots, and they die off;
• the bottom becomes soft and watery, after which a yellow, white or pink mycelium forms on it;
• pink pads form between the garlic scales in the storage;
• during storage, the heads are mummified.

Indoors and open ground, fusarium of peppers, sunflowers, soybeans, cabbage, corn, peas and various cereals is also found.

Fusarium on fruit and berry crops

Fusarium strawberry

The first symptoms of strawberry damage by Fusarium wilting are considered: the appearance of necrosis on the edge of the leaf plates and a slight loss of turgor by them. Over time, the leaves and petioles turn brown, they turn brown, almost black, and then die off. The rosette disintegrates, and the bushes seem to press against the soil surface. The duration of this entire process is approximately 6 weeks. As a rule, the most distinct signs of the disease become noticeable at the very beginning of the period of filling and ripening of fruits, it is at this time that the bushes are especially in need of moisture and nutrients. The degree of damage to such a plant by fusarium may depend on the age of planting, climatic conditions and the level of agricultural technology. It must be remembered that most strawberry varieties are susceptible to fusarium wilt. However, there are varieties that are resistant to this disease, for example, Zenga.

Melon

Fusarium melons were first discovered in 1931 in the USA. Such a disease is widespread in Central Asia, where, if conditions favorable for its development are present, it can destroy 60 to 70 percent of the crop. At the very beginning of the development of the disease, the roots and shoots of the bushes gradually become brown, and the disappearance of hairs on the roots is observed. After that, spots of a reddish-brown shade sometimes appear at the base of the root or longitudinally located stripes that diverge up and down to a distance of up to 0.7 m. Most often, the affected bushes die ahead of time. If the defeat of the bushes with Fusarium occurs during the formation of fruits, then they most likely will not be able to ripen, and the affected developed berries lose their taste and are already used only for livestock feed. Best of all, the fungus develops on melons at a humidity level of 40–80 percent, and at a temperature of 23 to 25 degrees.Such varieties of melons as Ich-kzyl 1895, Shakar palak 554 and Khandalyak kokcha 14 have the greatest resistance to fusarium.

Fusarium on flowers

Asters

Asters are affected by Fusarium wilting during bud formation or at the very beginning of the opening of flowers. On diseased bushes, foliage twisting, bud drooping, as well as the appearance of oblong-shaped brown specks on the shoots are observed, while brown stripes are formed in the area of ​​the root collar. On diseased stems, tissue rupture occurs, and a plaque of mycelium or small pads of a pale pink color forms on the surface of the root areas, the growth of asters stops, and they quickly fade. The causative agents of the disease enter the plant through the roots and very quickly move through the vascular system, which can no longer function normally.

Lilies

The causative agents of fusarium wilting enter lilies through mechanical damage on the roots. After that, the infection spreads very quickly through the vessels throughout the bush. In this case, some species of gnawing pests, nematodes, as well as rain and wind can become carriers of the pathogens of fusarium. In diseased bushes, rot appears on the root system and bottom. Further, the dead tissue falls out of the bottom and a void appears in the bulb. The central and outer part of the bulb begins to rot, at the base of the flower stem. On the surface of the bulbs, small depressed ulcers and spots of yellow-brown color are formed. The disease develops most actively in warmth with high humidity.

Gladioli

All known varieties of gladioli are susceptible to fusarium. Most often, damage to the bulbs occurs immediately after they are dug up or after planting. The causative agent of fusarium can be activated when the planting is thickened, when there is too much nitrogen in the soil, and also if the soil is very heavy combined with heat and high humidity. In the affected bushes, there is a deterioration in the development of the root system, thinning, elongation and curvature of the leaf plates, which then turn yellow and die off. And on the surface of diseased bulbs, depressed specks of a brownish-red hue are formed. In some cases, the bulbs affected by fusarium look quite healthy, but after planting them in the soil, they do not germinate or deformed shoots appear, their roots die off over time and the leaves turn yellow: first, the tips of the lower tier turn yellow, after which the entire leaf turns yellow, and then yellowness passes to the upper tiers. As a result, the diseased bush looks like dried out. During storage, the planting material located nearby gets sick from the affected bulbs.

Fusarium control measures

Many gardeners and gardeners have repeatedly asked the question, how can fusarium be cured? Unfortunately, today this disease is considered incurable. Since the defeat of a plant by fusarium wilt begins from the roots, it is possible to understand that it hurts only when the disease has already entered into force. If you found a bush with obvious symptoms of fusarium, then it remains only to dig it up and be sure to destroy it with fire. And the area on which the diseased bush grew must be shed with a solution of copper sulfate. For prophylaxis, the remaining specimens should be sprayed with a solution of a systemic or biological fungicidal preparation.

The easiest way to deal with fusarium wilt is on indoor plants. A sick flower must be destroyed by fire, and in all still healthy plants, the soil mixture in the pot is replaced with a new one, previously spilled with a biofungicide solution. In the event that the disease was detected at an early stage of development, then a stalk can be cut from the affected bush, from which a new flower will grow.At the cut cutting, it is imperative to inspect the place of the cut: if the vessels have not darkened, and it is clean itself, then you can safely root it, and the parent sick bush must be destroyed, since it can no longer be cured. To begin with, the cutting is immersed in a biofungicide solution for a while, and then it is planted for rooting in moistened and pre-calcined sand, while it is recommended to pre-treat the cut points with a solution of a root growth stimulator, for example: Heteroauxin, Kornevin or Zircon.

Prevention measures

As mentioned above, fusarium is an incurable disease. In this regard, it is very important to strictly adhere to preventive measures in order to prevent the plant from being damaged by such a dangerous disease. It is possible to increase the resistance of crops to fusarium by observing the rules of crop rotation and agricultural techniques, and by processing the planting material, as well as seeds before sowing with a solution of a fungicidal preparation. Before sowing or planting, the planting material is carefully examined and all injured or diseased tubers, seeds, corms and bulbs are removed, and the remaining healthy ones are etched in a solution of a bio-fungicidal agent. During the growth of crops, it is recommended to feed them with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, while aggressive organic matter is introduced into the soil very carefully.

If the soil on the site is acidic, then it is recommended to lime it with chalk or dolomite flour, this will help reduce the risk of root rot damage to crops, because the causative agents of this disease cannot live in neutral soil, which contains a large amount of calcium. To protect berry bushes and flowers from fusarium wilting, the bushes are watered under the root with a solution of pink potassium permanganate with the addition of boric acid. You need to water the bushes with this solution only once during the season.

In addition, try to keep your garden plot or vegetable garden always clean, remove weeds in a timely manner, do not forget to fight diseases and pests, loosen the soil, carry out top dressing correctly, clean the area from plant residues in time, and also do not forget to pickle the soil before sowing or landing. All diseased bushes are immediately dug up and immediately burned along with a clod of earth; in no case should they be put into compost. All gardening tools after working with a sick plant must be disinfected using technical alcohol (denatured). Also, do not forget to wash your shoes well, as on the sole you can spread the pathogens of fusarium throughout the area. Disinfect the containers where the diseased bushes grew, and fill them only with the disinfected substrate. To curb the development of pathogenic fungi, plantings are mulched with black PVC film or silver polyethylene. Before storing rhizomes, bulbs and tubers, they are carefully examined, and all injured and diseased specimens are removed. And all healthy planting material is treated with Fundazole solution.

Fusarium preparations (fungicides)

Seed material and soil from fusarium are treated with the following biological fungicidal agents:

1. Agat-25K... This tool has a detrimental effect on the pathogens of fusarium, and it also increases yields and improves soil characteristics.
2. Fitosporin-M... Soil, compost, seed and planting material are treated with such a microbiological agent before sowing and planting or laying in a crop storage.
3. Baktofit... This biological fungicidal agent promotes healthy microflora development.
4. Trichodermin... Such a tool is used to disinfect seeds before sowing, and it is also used for preventive soil treatment, while improving its properties.
5. Vitaros... This agent is used for disinfection before planting or harvesting in the storage of rhizomes, bulbs or tubers.
6. Maxim... Means for preventive treatment of planting and seed material.
7. Potassium humate... This organic mineral fertilizer, made on the basis of lowland peat, has fungicidal properties and has a positive effect on soil characteristics and crop development. This agent is used to disinfect soil and seed material before sowing.

The following agents Gamair, Trichophyte, Fitoflavin, Previkur, Alirin-B, as well as systemic fungicidal preparations Topsin-M and Fundazol are also effective in the fight against fungi of the Fusarium genus.

Folk remedies

A plant affected by fusarium cannot be cured with folk remedies, because the disease can only be detected when it has already gained strength. However, they are suitable for treatment in order to prevent soil and healthy bushes. The most effective folk remedies are as follows:

1. 35 drops of iodine are added to a liter of milk and 25 grams of grated laundry soap is added there. This mixture is used to treat bushes.
2. 1 tbsp. combine wood ash with 2 liters of water, and add 1 tbsp. l. Laundry soap crushed on a grater. The mixture should stand for 2 days. Then the bushes and the surface of the soil around them are treated with it. After 7 days, re-spraying is carried out.
3. A couple of handfuls of onion husks are combined with 10 liters of freshly boiled water. The infusion will be ready in half an hour, after which it is filtered. The product is diluted with water 1: 1 and poured over the bushes from the watering can.
4. One head of garlic is crushed and combined with 1 liter of water. The infusion will be ready after 24 hours; all that remains is to strain it and dilute it with nine liters of water. The tool is used to treat the bushes the next evening.

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