Cucurbit Diseases Book 203 Pages

Print Color

Paper Coated

Size 21.5x30cm

The fungus infects seeds, young tissues, stem tissues near soil level, fruits and roots of plants. Disease symptoms and damage depend on the plants in the infected area. Plants are very sensitive to fungal agents in their germination and young stages. Initial symptoms may be weak or irregular germination (pre-germination collapse). Germinated seedlings are quite sensitive after germination and can be caught in the collapse. Infected seedlings appear wet with water and the plant collapses. The entire plant may be completely destroyed during this period. Stem rot of the disease agent occurs on the stems of many annual and seedbed plants, especially when the plants are young. Disease symptoms begin to appear as spots on the stem at ground level, as if it were wet with water. Plant tissues become sticky. If the spots expand to encompass the trunk, the plants may lie on their side. If the pathogen is blocked by the plant, the spots dry up and the plant can regain its health. As a result, the spots take a sunken and brown color.

Grass: Pythium blight is one of the most aggressive diseases of peat grass. Grasses mostly die and rarely recover. Blight begins as small, round, red-brown spots. Grass leaves are a dark green, water-soaked appearance, and the cottony mycelium of the fungus can cover the lawn.

Cucurbits: The above-ground parts of mature plants that come into contact with the soil are also susceptible to the fungus. This is especially true for cucumbers and other cucurbit plants. Blight presents as water-soaked areas, and spots enlarge on the rotting fruit and the cottony white mycelium of the fungus begins to appear.

Challenge

1 Care should be taken to ensure that the tubers and seeds used for reproduction, especially those infected with the disease, are free from the disease.

2 In the areas where the disease is present, importance should be given to soil drainage and water should not be allowed to accumulate in the field.

3 Planting should be avoided and planting should be done with good ventilation.

4 Great importance should be given to sanitation processes in order to protect against disease factors, clean pots, tools, growing environments should be used.

and soil should be used.

5 Diseased plant residues should be removed and destroyed in growing media as the sources of inoculum decrease.

6 Injury to plants should be avoided.

7 Healthy plants are more resistant to infections than poorly grown plants.