Causes and treatments for cucumber anthracnose

Along with characteristic diseases, garden plants develop diseases that are characteristic of all vegetation. For example, anthracnose, which is able to move from cucumbers to surrounding plants. If a fungal disease is detected in a timely manner, then you can save the harvest of all vegetable crops in the garden. We will tell you about the signs, circumstances of occurrence, treatment and preventive measures of anthracnose on cucumbers in our publication.

Cucumber anthracnose is a fungal infection that affects the whole bush, not sparing the fruit. Gardeners often call this disease copperhead.

Cucumbers growing in greenhouses are more vulnerable to anthracnose. However, even in the open air, he can easily attack culture. The disease follows the vegetable at all stages of its formation. The first signs are sometimes visible even on seedlings. In addition to cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, cherries, grapes, currants and other crops are exposed to infection.

For the most part, cucumbers grown in greenhouses are susceptible to the disease, but plantings in open beds are also at risk.... Their infection is carried out by means of uncleaned remains of vegetation, insects. Infection by wind and other atmospheric phenomena is possible.

The fungus spreads under the following conditions:

• rain season;
• excessive watering;
• the use of groundwater;
• contact of unhealthy plants with healthy ones;
• with aphids or spider mites;
• on overalls (if the same gloves touched the areas with mycomycetes and then the treatment of uninfected plants was carried out);
• during through ventilation (applies to greenhouses).

The anthracnose pathogen can develop at temperatures from +4 to + 30 ° C at a humidity level of 90-98%.

The ideal temperature is + 20- + 28 ° C. With such values, the incubation period is reduced to 3 days. Colder weather increases the lifetime of the disease. At temperatures below + 4 ° C and a humidity level of 60%, anthracnose does not show itself.

As mentioned above, the infection can be transmitted through infected plant debris, seeds and soil. Spores of fungi are carried by wind, rain, insect pests, and also by humans during gardening. The problem can affect plants at any time of their growth and development. The pathological process in this case affects all parts of the plant. On seedlings, the disease manifests itself in the form of brown, depressed spots at the junction of the root with the stem. In adult plants, the anomaly is easier to distinguish.

Light green islands with a diameter of about 3 mm appear, which are later combined into large ones - up to 4 cm.

In dry weather, they become brittle, and in wet weather they begin to rot. Holes often appear in the lesions.

On vegetables, dented oblong specks are formed in the form of ulcers. Their color is light brown, and the area can be any. The mycelium penetrates into tissues to a depth of 4 mm.As a result, the greens begin to darken and rot over time.

On it, weeping, depressed, elongated plaques of a brown-yellow color are formed. In the areas where the spots are found, the stem gradually becomes thinner and breaks. The plant dies. In the presence of high humidity, a pink layer is likely to develop at the lesion sites. These are the cells that serve for the reproduction of the fungus. Later, dark spots appear - sclerotia.

The main danger of anthracnose is that it spreads rapidly and affects all parts of the plant. The disease leads to a decrease in the quality and volume of the crop. In greens, the level of sugar and organic matter decreases, they begin to taste bitter and rot. If nothing is done to fight, the vegetation will die.

The disease can also show itself at the stage of growing seedlings:

• seedling roots are affected by dented brown plaques;
• when the leaves are damaged, they are covered with yellow or brown plaques along the edge of the plates;
• with intensive infection, the spots are combined into one whole spot;
• these spots differ in size and form characteristic slits;
• diseased leaves become dead;
• the stems are also covered with these spots, and after a while they break;
• when the infection spreads along the main shoots of vegetation, all seedlings die.

They select ways to combat the infection, taking into account the phase of development of the disease. It is necessary to start with the formation of conditions that are not conducive to the reproduction of the fungus. Reduce the ambient temperature and the humidity level in the greenhouse. Temporarily stop watering vegetation in open soil. It is necessary to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the ground, to add wood ash. Many gardeners prefer traditional methods for healing cucumbers. When the disease is started, it is impossible to cure the planting of a cucumber without chemicals.

To overcome anthracnose at the earliest stage, when it is located in the infected seeds, the TMTD seed treater is practiced. The operation is performed 2-5 days before planting, using approximately 4.5 g of substance per 2 kg of seeds.

Disease in mature plants is treated with chemicals. The most effective of them are the following.

• Fitosporin. Powder: 10 g per 5 l of water, 3 treatments are carried out with a break of 10-15 days. Paste: 4 drops in 200 ml of water. Liquid substance - 10 drops per 200 ml of water.
• Previkur. 1.5 ml per 1 liter of water.
• "Abiga-peak"... Dilute 40-50 g in a liter of water, then add water to 10 liters. Spray 3-4 times per season with a break of 20-30 days.
• "Quadris". 5 ml for 10 liters of water. Up to 3 sprays.
• "Tiovit Jet". 30-80 g per 10 liters of water.
• Fundazol. It is practiced for disinfection of seed material, spraying or watering. 1 g of substance per liter of water. No more than 2 treatments per season. Seeds are processed 30 days before planting.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations when using chemicals. Carry out processing in special clothing, gloves, glasses, mask. After processing, you must throw away gloves, wash your face, hands, eyes with detergent, rinse your mouth. Working compositions are not intended for storage. Remember: certain substances repel insects, and bees among them, in this regard, you should not use the drug during the flowering of cucumbers.

The specificity of treatment in closed conditions is different. In greenhouses, cucumbers are more sick than those that grow in the open field. This is due to the following points.

1. Feature of the greenhouse climate (moderately high temperature and high humidity of the ambient air) is more suitable for the formation of a pathogenic microorganism.
2. The fungus often remains on the inner surfaces of the greenhouse, after disembarking seedlings, he immediately attacks her.
3. In the greenhouse, the bushes are heaped up, and this accelerates the spread of the infection.

Regardless of this, greenhouse plantings are easier to treat, since in this situation the gardener himself adjusts the level of temperature and humidity in the building. Outside the premises, this is unthinkable. With early signs of illness, the moisture content in the greenhouse is reduced to 60%. This makes it possible to slow down the growth of pathology. After the bushes are treated with antifungal agents.

How to deal with infection in the open field? Cucumbers growing in open soils tend to develop the fungus through seeds, wind and insects. Often the source of infection is the ground, plant remains. In this variant, in the fight against the problem, watering under the root and treatment with a 1% solution of copper sulfate in milk of lime (Bordeaux liquid) demonstrated the optimal effect.

It is necessary to process the bushes either before 10 hours or after 18 hours. Performing the operation during the day can cause leaf burns. A clear day without wind is selected for processing. Experienced gardeners will certainly be interested in the forecast for the current days, and if rain is not expected, they process the bushes without fear that the product will wash off.

There are many recipes for healing cucumbers. Typically, gardeners practice the following options.

• 10 ml brilliant green dissolve in a bucket of water and treat the bushes with this solution.
• 10 drops of iodine add to one liter of whey or milk and treat both vegetation and soil with the resulting product.
• 1 liter ash the wood is dissolved in a bucket of water and sprayed on the aboveground part of the plant, as a result of which the increase in the number and scale of spots is inhibited, and for reliable adhesion of the solution, experienced gardeners add soap to it.
• 5 l of whey is mixed with 5 l of water and 10 g of copper sulfate is added. The solution is sprayed onto the tops.
• 10 g of live yeast is dissolved in a bucket of water - this tool is used for root watering.

Agrotechnical methods of combating anthracnose include preventive measures. Among them, attention should be paid to:

• compliance with the rules of crop rotation;
• land cultivation aimed at better decomposition of vegetation fragments.

Anthracnose is a preventable disease. To do this, gardeners do the following:

• plant exceptionally healthy seeds, purchase them from reliable suppliers;
• take seeds that have undergone incrustation, or disinfect ordinary ones with disinfectants and fungicides;
• observe the rules of crop rotation - they plant the crop in one place with a break of 4 years;
• in the fall, they burn the remains of plants, thoroughly dig up the ground;
• in the greenhouse every year, 10 cm of soil is removed and a fresh layer is introduced;
• after harvesting and on the eve of planting cucumbers, they disinfect the greenhouse;
• phosphorus-potassium complexes, organic fertilizing are introduced into the ground;
• disinfect soil, gardening tools;
• exercise control over the moisture content in the structure, constantly ventilate it;
• when planting seedlings, observe the required distance between the holes.

The approach to cultivating cucumbers must be serious, as they are prone to numerous diseases. Periodic inspection of crops makes it possible to detect and eliminate the problem in a timely manner. The earlier the treatment starts, the better the effect it will give. Besides Adherence to agricultural practices and the implementation of preventive measures will reduce the risk of disease and increase the chances of obtaining a high-quality and good harvest.

For diseases of cucumbers, see below.