Diseases and pests of strawberries and methods to combat them

Garden strawberries are quite a popular seasonal delicacy, therefore they are widely cultivated in domestic gardens. However, like any other berry crop, it is susceptible to various diseases and destruction by pests, in the light of which it is necessary to have an idea about the slightest signs indicating infection or the appearance of pests.

Brown spotting of strawberry leaves is a disease that develops quite rapidly on berry plantations. A characteristic sign indicating a lesion is the appearance of brown spots on the green mass of the plant, which increase very quickly. The result of the defeat is the death of the sheets. An effective method to fight infection is the use of copper-containing compounds. Spraying is carried out in the spring and after the end of fruiting.

A disease such as white spotting manifests itself on the culture sheets with contoured spots. And along the edges of the white spots traced a dark edging. In contrast to the first case, the spotting on the foliage does not combine, however, the green mass also turns yellow and falls.

To get rid of the disease will help the annual spraying of specialized drugs from the disease. In addition, as a preventive measure, care must be taken to care of the plantations.

Among the list of diseases of strawberries can be identified gray rot, from which berry stands suffer most often. Symptoms that indicate defeat are rusty stains on berries and bloom. In addition to the fruit, rot appears on the foliage in the form of a spot of brown or gray tint. Young and not strong plants suffer from gray rot to a greater degree. To cure the crop, spraying the bushes with Bordeaux liquid is carried out at least twice a season. As a preventive measure, it is worth adhering to the recommendations on crop rotation of the berry plant, to take care of mulching the ridges and timely removal of weeds.

Black rot or rhizoctoniosis is a fungal infection that affects the root system of strawberry bushes, so it is quite problematic to recognize the disease in a timely manner. Capturing the entire root, the virus passes to the foliage, the green mass of the plants becomes brown.

Since the fungus is quite dangerous, the following methods should be followed to prevent the risk of infection of strawberry plantings:

• plant a berry crop at the same place with an interval of at least 5 years;
• before wintering it is necessary to completely get rid of weeds and foliage on the ridges;
• All seedlings must be disinfected before rooting to the ground;
• three times a year, strawberries should be sprayed with fungicides, it is best to choose antifungal compounds for work;
• administer trichoderma by drip.

Anthracous rot destroys the above-ground part of the crop. A symptom of the disease is the formation of gray spots with a red outline. Small ulcers appear on the stem, and the fruits dry out, and rot occurs on them. A factor that can trigger the development of this disease is an overabundance of moisture in the soil, therefore, the soil must be dried in case of prolonged rains.

To treat infected strawberry bushes, they should be treated with Antracol or Quadrice. As a preventive measure, given the excessive humidity of the ground in the garden, the berries are planted on an elevation, forming high ridges.

White rot is characterized by the fact that the leaves of the bushes brighten, after which they become dry, and eventually rot and die. In addition, a whitish bloom forms on the berries and greens, followed by fruit rotting. Most often, the development of the disease is provoked by wet and cold weather, as well as errors made in the process of planting, when the beds of the crop are planted too close to each other.

The disease adversely affects the yield of the plant. The presence of infection indicates wrinkling and twisting of foliage, dyeing it in lilac color. Berries decrease in size and acquire an irregular shape, a raid appears on the leaves and fruits. The taste properties of ripened fruits change for the worse.

For treatment and prophylaxis, bushes are treated with copper-containing compounds, and soap solution is used as an additional agent.

Fusarium appears on the edges of the foliage with a further transition to change the color of leaves and petioles. Late blight is expressed by a change in the color of the axial cylinder - it turns red, and the plants themselves are stunted. After that, the fibrous roots lose their viability. As a preventive measure, you should follow the rules of crop rotation, only use decontaminated saplings for planting in the garden. Immediately before planting strawberries, its roots should be processed in “Gumate K” and “Agate 25K”. Infected plants should be removed from the ridges and burned.

Verticillary wilting is characterized by the proliferation of microscopic fungal spores. The fungus is very resistant and can infect all varieties of strawberries, quickly destroying all plants. As a result, the bushes become dwarf, before the fruiting phase, as a rule, cultures do not survive. A symptom of the disease is the presence of dark spots on the leaves, necrosis of green tissue.

For treatment and prevention, you should avoid the risk of getting a disease dispute on crops, keep the ridges clean, and immediately destroy the affected plants. Effective method is planting berries after greenside crops, as well as the cultivation of more resistant to disease varieties of garden strawberries.

There may be several reasons why such situations arise.

• Most often the main reason is insufficient pollination of crops due to long-term precipitation. At this time, insects will not be able to do their job to the extent necessary.
• Another factor affecting the lack of fruit in flowering bushes of strawberries, is the disappearance of bee colonies in the area. You can verify this by observing other cultures that depend on pollination. As practice shows, the exclusion of insecticides from the list of drugs for spraying the culture will help fruiting. To attract insects, spraying strawberry bushes with a solution of aniseed oil, which will lure bees and bumblebees, is used.
• It is possible that the strawberries froze, in the light of which some flower buds died. As a rule, the situation is normalized for the next season.

The change in the condition of the green mass of strawberry bushes is evidence of violations of the rules of agricultural engineering or the defeat of fungal diseases. In some cases, similar symptoms are observed during insect pests.

To normalize the condition of the leaves, you should adjust the frequency of watering and the volume of input moisture. Follow the standards for the use of chemicals for processing bushes.

In addition to diseases, insect pests can damage the plant and crop. Most often, the berry crop suffers from insect invasions described below.

These small bugs are usually found in the inflorescences, their reproduction occurs on the bushes in hot and humid weather. The damage falls on the strawberry harvest - the fruits darken. For the destruction of larvae and adults on large plantations, the drug "Denis" or "Actofit", which infect the nervous system of pests, is used. Good results are obtained by the use of insecticides. You can add the effect by spraying "Fitosporin", it should be done at intervals of 10 days. Bushes are also processed after harvest in August.

This insect is very easy to spot on plantations. The result of aphids breeding on the bushes is the deformation of the berries, the slow development of the culture, as well as the twisting and wilting of the leaves.

To kill a pest, garlic brew is an effective remedy that can be made with your own hands. The infusion is prepared according to the following recipe - crushed heads are filled with cold water, after which the composition should be infused for 5-7 days. After straining it is ready to use.

Strawberry leaf beetle winters under fallen leaves, with the arrival of spring destroying the green mass of bushes, and laying eggs on them. On the foliage appear small holes. To destroy a pest, it is necessary to get rid of weeds in a timely manner, to loosen the soil. The shrub can be treated with Karbofos or Lepidocide.

Another species of beetles that feed on the leaves of garden strawberries is the strawberry sawfly. These insects overwinter in the ground, and in the spring they lay eggs on the plant and feed on the leaves of the crop.

In order to prevent the ground in the garden in preparation for the wintering dig, and in the flowering and fruiting season regularly loosened. If the bushes have a large accumulation of pests, they are destroyed by spraying "Malophos".

The raspberry-strawberry weevil feeds on foliage, and it lays its eggs during the flowering period of the bushes in the buds. In addition to the green mass, the pest destroys the pedicels, which leads to wilting of the buds. This parasite can cause serious damage to the crop.

With the active breeding of the beetle in the garden, the spraying is repeated in the summer. For processing from the weevil, the effective agents are Iskra, Nemabak, Inta-Vir. As a folk method, bushes can be treated with a solution of baking soda, well repels insects, treatment of peduncles with tobacco dust or ash. The only disadvantage of folk remedies is their quick flushing with water.

The cockchafer may cause serious damage to strawberry plantations, which deposits its larvae into the soil. The insect is omnivorous, therefore it destroys the roots of all existing plants. Strawberry bushes are of particular interest to the pest, in the light of which the larvae during massive breeding cause serious harm to berry plantations, destroying the root system.

For the destruction of beetles used "Zemlin" or "Vallar", which are shallowly embedded in the ground. It has been established that the larvae of the cockchafer are susceptible to nitrogen, therefore for their destruction they resort to planting legumes or clover. You can also use nitrogen fertilizers.

The caterpillar feeds on strawberry leaves. At the beginning of summer, it pupates on the bushes, after which a butterfly forms from the pupa, which feeds on nectar.She lays eggs on berries and strawberry leaves.

The fight against the pest is carried out "Karbofos" or "Rugor". In case of mass reproduction, biological products are used, for example, Lepodotsid. In addition to processing, it may be necessary to manually collect the tracks.

From the folk means of struggle, it is possible to note the construction of sweet traps for butterflies, which are placed on the site or suspended in trees. Caterpillars destroy tobacco extract or tobacco dust.

The most effective preventive method to avoid the development of diseases and the multiplication of insect pests, is to create the right microclimate on the ridges, as well as maintaining a minimum infection background.

As for the strawberry spots, their distribution most often occurs on old strawberry plantings, where the leaves change color, turn black and require immediate processing.

The basic rules for the prevention of ailments are as follows:

• for rooting in the garden, you should use only high-quality and decontaminated planting material;
• pick a variety for cultivation is based on the climatic conditions and placement of plantations on the site;
• it is necessary to strictly adhere to the correct crop rotation;
• regularly perform soil fumigation work;
• thin out the culture after the end of fruiting;
• monitor the cleanliness of the beds, removing pests, debris and weeds.

About what strawberries are sick, see the next video.