The apple tree is one of the most popular fruit crops in garden plots. Gathering a rich harvest of tasty fruits can be overshadowed by the presence of rotten apples on the tree. Unfortunately, this problem occurs quite often. In reference books, you can find a description of a similar disease called moniliosis. In order not to face a problem, it is important to pay attention to systematic prevention. If you miss the first symptoms and do not start treatment, the culture can die.
Why do apples rot
Rot is most often characteristic of stone fruit and fruit crops. Most often, fruits damaged by insects and pests begin to rot. Rot is a fungal disease. The best environment for the development of fungus is humid. Therefore, the disease is most active in rainy and cool weather.
Rot often activates on apple trees with the arrival of spring, when the trees begin to bloom. Fungal spores tolerate frosts quite firmly and are able to successfully overwinter.
An infected tree is a source of danger to neighboring trees. Therefore, if you do not get rid of the infected specimen, you can lose not only the crop, but the entire garden.
How to recognize a disease
Rot can often be confused with the reaction of the tree to sudden frosts or violation of the conditions of care: flowers and fresh shoots dry, the leaves fall off. The key sign by which you can determine the presence of moniliosis is the death of young shoots. The defeat of the tree begins with flowers, then spreads to shoots and leaves.
Moniliosis can manifest itself in a burn form. It is this form that affects the fruit. Infection can be found in places of mechanical damage caused by insects or birds. It all starts with the formation of small brown spots on the fruits. As the disease develops, the spots grow and subsequently cover the entire fetus. After about seven days, the spores of the fungus themselves can be found on the fruits. They look like voluminous pads of a yellowish-beige hue. The fruit pulp also undergoes changes: it turns brown and takes on a sour taste. The affected apple is mummified; it can either fall to the ground or remain hanging on a branch all winter. The affected fruits must be destroyed as soon as possible, otherwise it is in them that the fungal infection will overwinter and become more active with the arrival of spring.
Moniliosis is very dangerous, because concomitant diseases, such as chlorosis or fly-eating, often manifest along with it.
Preventive measures
The main preventive measure against miniliosis is the systematic treatment of fruit trees with preparations from the group of fungicides. The procedure should be performed twice a year:
- in the spring, while the trees have not bloomed;
- the second treatment should be carried out before the beginning of fruiting.
It is equally important to strengthen the trees' own immunity by making competent dressings.
Also, for prevention purposes, it is necessary:
- timely pruning of dried branches;
- get rid of weeds in tree-trunk circles;
- in the autumn period, it is favorable to treat the trunks with a solution of lime with the addition of fungicides;
- to carry out spraying against pests with preparations of an insecticidal group.
Effective treatments
If the disease cannot be prevented, it is important to choose effective drugs for the treatment of moniliosis. The best effect is shown by:
- Spraying with Bordeaux liquid. For spring treatment, until the foliage bloom, a 3% solution is used. In summer and autumn, the concentration of the working fluid should be 1%.
- For spraying, you can also choose ready-made preparations from the category of systemic fungicides. Gardeners often use Topsin-m. The drug is effective and has a quick effect. In addition, it demonstrates a long-lasting protective effect for up to three weeks. To prepare a working solution, 15 g of a powder substance is diluted in ten liters of pure water and processed.
- In addition to chemicals, gardeners often resort to folk methods. One of the most popular is the treatment with a urea solution, which, in addition to its therapeutic effect, serves as an excellent feeding. Such treatments are carried out in early spring.
For greater efficiency, experts recommend alternating treatments with various drugs and timely prophylaxis.
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