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It is no secret that in order to get a good harvest of vegetables and fruits, they require comprehensive care. And we are talking not only about watering and removing weeds, but also about various parasites and diseases. Below we will tell you which pests of carrots are most common, what diseases attack this crop and how to deal with them so that the root crops grow large, juicy and healthy.
Common Carrot Diseases
The list of carrot diseases is quite wide. They are provoked by pathogenic microorganisms, most often fungi. As a result, the leaves are affected, the root crop begins to rot, the taste of carrots changes, it becomes unpleasant and bitter. If you do not notice the defeat in time, then it is quite possible to be left without a crop. The fight against all these misfortunes must be carried out in a comprehensive manner. In order to start treating the beds as early as possible, we propose to consider in detail the diseases of carrots.
Fomoz
This disease is also called dry rot. The fungus infects ripe root crops at the end of the growing season, but the first signs of the disease can also be seen on the stems. On the petioles and leaves, characteristic gray-brown spots of an oblong shape appear. Dark brown cavities begin to form on the carrot itself. Small black dots can be seen on the affected areas – these are spores of the fungus. Since the disease first affects the tops, the first spots appear at the base of the carrot.
The disease spreads rapidly and is transmitted to other root crops during winter storage, therefore, before laying the crop in the cellar, it must be carefully sorted out and suspicious individuals should be disposed of. To reduce the risk of fungus spread, the storage temperature should be below +10°C. The fight against this disease consists in the timely destruction of the tops after harvesting and the application of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers in sufficient quantities.
White rot
It is also caused by a special type of fungus that lives in the soil. It begins to manifest itself during storage of the crop. Some areas of carrots begin to rot and become soft, although visually the root crop looks normal. Further, a fluffy white mycelium with droplets of moisture and black dots appears on the rotted areas.
This fungus is introduced into the soil along with manure. It is resistant to temperature changes, so it easily survives the winter. Active transmission of the fungus is facilitated by the presence of weeds in the garden, excessively dense planting and violation of storage rules. You can save your crop from this carrot disease using the following measures.
Be sure to disinfect the cellar before placing root crops there. Additional protection is provided by sulfur checkers. Feed the culture with potassium in proportions of 1,5 tablespoons of the drug per 1 bucket of water. Spray carrot stalks with products containing copper.
Risectoniasis
In the people, this disease is called – felt rot. Rhizoctonia affects carrots both during storage and during growth. A dark gray rot appears on it, on which a purple-brown crust of a felt texture forms over time. At the last stage of the lesion, the plant is covered with black dots. To combat this disease, experienced gardeners use spraying based on copper oxychloride.
brown spot
Also provoked by a fungus. It can affect all parts of the plant. Young shoots develop dark brown constrictions at the base of the stem. This leads to the death of the plant at the beginning of the growing cycle. If an adult culture is affected, then at first yellow areas can be seen on the leaves, which become darker after a while. If the soil is waterlogged, then the leaves become covered with a black coating.
As for the testes, the brown spotted is localized at the base of the petioles and on the lower part of the stem. The disease leads to the drying of the affected areas, respectively, the plant dies. You can fight brown spotting by loosening the row spacing, as well as spraying with a decoction of celandine, horsetail or nettle.
Bacteriosis
From the name it becomes clear that the causative agents of the disease are bacteria. They infect carrots and testicles. The disease begins to spread from the lower leaves. They turn yellow. Behind them, microorganisms attack the petioles of the root crop. In advanced cases, the lesions become dark in color and spread to almost the entire plant.
Infected carrots are covered with brown-brown spots and small ulcers. There is a sharp unpleasant odor that comes from the waste products of bacteria. It is necessary to take care of protecting carrots from bacteriosis at the stage of seed preparation. They are kept for 10 minutes in water heated to a temperature of 52°C. 20 days after the first shoots appear, it is necessary to treat the planting with the Hom fungicide in the proportion of 40 grams per 10 liters of water.
Mučnistaâ rosa
It manifests itself in the form of a white coating, which from afar resembles flour. The areas affected by the fungus become rough and brittle. Most often, the disease attacks the testes and carrots of the first year. The risk group includes plants growing on infertile soils and not receiving the required amount of moisture. To combat powdery mildew, various complex fungicides are used.
Video “How to deal with carrot pests”
carrot fly
It is considered one of the most dangerous carrot pests. Flies wake up around the end of May and lay their eggs in the ground, next to the roots of carrots. You can understand that the larvae have begun to destroy the root crop by the bronze spots on the leaves. After a while, the bush dies. Especially the attention of flies is attracted by late thinned plantings, where there are bare semi-ripe root crops. If the larvae are born next to a juicy vegetable, they will immediately begin to gnaw it.
A spoiled root crop should not be consumed. The pulp acquires a bitter taste due to the presence of waste products of the larvae. Experienced gardeners note that it is quite difficult to deal with parasites, since these carrot pests lay eggs twice a season. To protect your crop from encountering carrot flies, we recommend thinning seedlings in time and keeping the beds clean. It is necessary to get rid of weeds in time and swell the aisles.
A good level of protection is provided by dressing the planting with complex insecticides Akllellik KE, Sharpei ME, Ziper KE, Vega KE, Arriva KE and others. Due to the peculiarities of the life cycle of flies, they need to be dealt with 2-3 times per season. There is also a folk remedy for these pests. Mix equal proportions of ash, tobacco powder and slaked lime. Sprinkle the rows with the finished mixture at the rate of 10 grams per 1 square meter of plot area. For the best effect, 2-3 treatments should be carried out at intervals of 8-10 days.
Listobloška
These microscopic insects can bring with them a lot of trouble. They are localized on the leaves of carrots. They lay their eggs there. After a while, larvae hatch from them, which feed on the juices from the stems. Adults also suck moisture from the leaves. As a result, the ground part of the carrot dries out and dies.
The psyllid hibernates on coniferous trees and in the spring begins to look for a suitable home, so first of all try to avoid planting carrots next to pines or spruces. It is recommended to cover young shoots with a non-woven fabric so that insects cannot be accommodated on the plant. Infusions of orange peels and tobacco dust have a repellent effect on psyllids. Such solutions should be sprayed with not yet infected areas.
If it was not possible to save the carrots, prepare the following remedy to fight the insect. 1 kilogram of tobacco waste is poured with hot water (10 liters) and infused for 24 hours. The finished infusion is filtered and a weaker solution is prepared in the proportion of 2 liters of infusion per 10 liters of water. At the end, 30 grams of laundry soap are added there. The drug is used for spraying.
Winter Scoop
These carrot pests can damage both stems and root crops. An adult is a gray-brown butterfly with a wingspan of up to 45 millimeters. Females lay up to 2000 caterpillars on the ground surface, which feed on the stems and upper parts of root crops.
Insects do not tolerate the smell of burdock, chamomile and yarrow, therefore, for prevention, spray the beds with infusions of these plants. Also, keep the area free of weeds. Make thinnings promptly. To combat caterpillars, use peritriod preparations. During the period of pupation of the larvae, abundant watering with a rain nozzle helps well.
Naked Slugs
They represent a serious danger to root crops. It is worth preparing for the invasion of these pests in the event of a wet summer and autumn. If the weather was dry, their numbers can be significantly reduced. Naked slugs, due to their anatomical features, live in places with an increased level of moisture. From the sun, they hide in rotten foliage, garbage, gutters, grass. As a rule, slugs come out to hunt at night or on cloudy days. They gnaw holes in ripe fruits, leaving a characteristic shiny mark.
To rid your garden of these annoying parasites, take care of its cleanliness. Thoroughly clear areas of foliage, grass, and other crop residues. Clean gutters periodically. Do not keep masonry logs and other structures near the garden that could theoretically be suitable for the life of slugs.
You can also treat the area with different solutions. A good result is sprayed with a water-salt mixture of 10% concentration. Fights slugs and superphosphate. It must be taken about 250 kilograms per 1 hectare. Another effective method involves treating the soil with a 25% solution of lime with the addition of wood ash.
Video “Growing carrots”
From the video you will learn everything about growing carrots.
