7 DEADLY diseases in plants
How you can prevent them from killing your plants today!!
7 deadly plant diseases
- Cankers--Cankers usually form on woody stems and may be cracks, sunken areas, or raised areas of dead or abnormal tissue.
- Rots--Rots are diseases that decay roots, stems, wood, flowers, and fruit. Some diseases cause leaves to rot, but those symptoms tend to be described as leaf spots and blights. Rots can be soft and squishy or hard and dry. They are caused by various bacteria and fungi. Many are very active in stored fruits, roots, bulbs, or tubers.
- Rusts--Rusts are a specific type of fungal disease. Many of them require two different plant species as hosts to complete their life cycle. Typical rust symptoms include a powdery tan to rust-colored coating.
- Anthracnose-- Anthracnose, or bird's-eye spot, is a fungal disease. It causes small dead spots that often have a raised border and a sunken center, and that may have concentric rings of pink and brown.
- Damping-off--Damping-off is caused by a variety of soilborne fungi. Seeds rot before they germinate, or seedlings rot at the soil line and fall over.
- Downy mildew--The primary symptom is a white to purple, downy growth, usually on the undersides of leaves and along stems, which turns black with age. Upper leaf surfaces have a pale color.
- Galls-- Galls are swollen masses of abnormal tissue. They can be caused by fungi and bacteria as well as certain insects. If you cut open a gall and there is no sign of an insect, suspect disease.
how to prevent these from happening
- Cankers--Control by limiting pruning cuts and removing diseased branches. OR To control, plant resistant trees and cut out branches or trees with cankers.
- Rots--Applying compost tea or Bacillus subtilis may help prevent the disease from developing. Sulfur sprays throughout the season can be effective, too, as a last resort.
- Rusts--Applying neem oil can help prevent rust by killing spores on the leaves.
- Anthracnose--To control, buy disease-free seed, rotate crops, turn under or hot-compost infected plants, and avoid touching plants when they are wet so you won't spread the disease.
- Damping-off--add compost to your soil, and use a product containing Trichoderma harzianum to drench the soil before planting.
- Downy mildew--To control it, buy disease-free seeds and plants, follow a 3-year rotation, and remove and dispose of infected plants. Preventive sprays of bicarbonate may be effective.
- Galls--To control it, buy healthy plants, and reject any suspicious ones. Don't replant in an area where you have had crown gall. Avoid wounding stems, and disinfect tools between plants when pruning. Remove and destroy infected plants, or cut out galls.
by: Bailey Edinburgh
citations
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/common-plant-diseases-and-disorders?page=0,2
http://www.kuriositas.com/2011/12/abnormal-gruesome-gall-alien-invader-in.html
http://www.stclareseeds.com/gardendisease/damping-off.html
http://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/tomato-lycopersicon-esculentum-anthracnose
http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/highelevationwhitepines/Threats/blister-rust-threat.htm
http://www.apsnet.org/publications/imageresources/Pages/IW00011a.aspx