Various diseases and pests affect the growth and productivity of radishes, as well as the presentation of the crop. They can affect even early plant varieties. If you do not fight diseases and pests, then they will quickly spread around the site and spoil the entire crop.
Radish Disease
Radishes are affected by viral and fungal diseases that spread to all parts of the culture: stems, leaves, testes, pedicels. Favorable conditions for their development are the presence of weeds on the site and fallen leaves and grass not harvested in the fall, long rains, low temperatures. You can cope with culture diseases using special drugs and adhering to recommendations for their prevention.
Kila
A fungal disease that develops when the radish is planted in an acidic soil, is prone to frequent watering, or grows in lowlands where water accumulates that affects root crops.
Symptoms of fungal infection:
- the appearance of spindle-shaped or spherical growths on fruits whose color does not differ from the color of vegetables;
- a gradual change in the color of the roots to brown;
- rotting of the roots.
Due to root damage, the lower leaves of the culture become sluggish, the plant is easily pulled out of the ground.
All radishes that were hit by the keel must be removed from the ground and burned. The earth in which he grew up, covered with slaked lime at the rate of 1-1.5 kg per 1 square. m. You can also use the fungicides Sumileks, Fundazole, Raxil T.
After detecting a fungal disease and eliminating the consequences in this area, cruciferous plants should not be grown for 4 years.
Prevention measures:
- Choosing the right soil. Do not choose a site with acidic soil.
- Preparing the soil before planting. A few days before the start of planting, it is recommended to loosen the soil and introduce sifted wood ash into it.
- Timely weed control.
- Compliance with crop rotation rules and changing the place of planting of crops every 2-3 years.
White rot
Fungal disease develops with excess moisture, lack of heat and light.
Symptoms
- wilting of the upper part of the bush;
- decay of shoots in the basal region;
- discoloration of the foliage;
- the appearance of white plaque on the leaves.
To combat the disease, you can spray plants with the following compounds:
- Bordeaux liquid;
- solution of copper sulfate;
- copper fungicides.
For prevention, you need to disinfect the soil before planting radishes and after harvesting. To do this, you can use the drugs Fundazole or Fungistop.
Blackleg
The disease is provoked by simple bacteria and fungi.
With such a disease, radish leaves turn yellow, curl, the stalk turns black. The root crop also deteriorates: it becomes soft and becomes covered with a coating.
If the black leg struck the culture, you must urgently remove it and burn it, and disinfect the soil using a solution of copper sulfate.
For prevention, you need:
- regulate the acidity of the soil, adding ash to it, if necessary;
- to seed before planting in the soil;
- regularly loosen the soil;
- thin out seedlings;
- water the beds sparingly at room temperature.
Also, for prevention, you can spray the plants with a composition that consists of 10 liters of water, a tablespoon of copper sulfate and a tablespoon of liquid soap.
Powdery mildew
The disease also has a fungal origin. It is also called an ashtray or linen.
The development of the disease contribute to high air humidity (60-80%) in the absence of precipitation and a temperature in the range of + 15-20 degrees. Another provocateur is the excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers.
The first to be infected are the leaves that are closer to the soil.
Symptoms of powdery mildew on a radish:
- the appearance of white spots on the upper part of the leaf, which gradually increase in size and cover the entire aerial part of the culture;
- drying and deformation of leaves.
To get rid of this disease, you need:
- remove all affected leaves, burn them;
- treat the culture with fungicides: Topaz, Fitosporin, Nitrofural;
- treat the plants with a solution of milk or serum diluted with cold water in a ratio of 1:10.
Preventive actions:
- do not allow excessive watering of the crop;
- carry out preventive treatment of radishes with fungicidal agents;
- remove old leaves that come in contact with the ground;
- regularly thin out the beds;
- apply nitrogen dressing moderately.
Treatment with powdery mildew should begin in the early stages, while the plant culture can still be saved.
Vascular bacteriosis
The disease occurs due to the activity of gram-negative aerobic bacteria. Vascular bacteriosis is one of the most dangerous radish diseases.
Signs of the disease:
- yellowing and wilting of leaves;
- the appearance of yellow spots along the veins;
- stopping the development and growth of culture.
It is possible to fight cruciferous vascular bacteriosis if the bacteria have not completely affected the plant's vascular system or if the disease is local in nature. For treatment, fungicides with bactericidal action can be used: Alirin, Acrobat, Vitaros. When working with such drugs, you need to use personal protective equipment.
To prevent the development of vascular bacteriosis, you need:
- use only healthy seeds for planting;
- prevent overmoistening of the soil;
- comply with crop rotation standards.
Mosaic
Viral disease, which slows down the development of a vegetable crop, causes deformation and grinding of leaves.
The main symptoms of a mosaic of radish:
- the appearance of yellow-green or light green spots on the front of the leaf;
- blackening and death of the affected tissues;
- darkening of veins.
The shape of the spots in the mosaic is different. They appear in the form of strokes, circles, angular shapes. It depends on the type of virus that infected the plant.
It is impossible to get rid of this disease. The only way to keep the crop healthy and to stop the spread of the virus is to remove the affected plant along with the root and earthen lump and burn it.
Prevention measures:
- seed treatment before planting with protective chemicals (Topaz, Rovral);
- maintaining the cleanliness of beds, timely removal of weeds;
- control of insects that can carry the mosaic virus (aphids, weevils).
Peronosporosis (downy mildew)
The disease has a fungal origin. It occurs under conditions of a sharp temperature drop, which occurs in autumn and spring.
Manifestations of downy mildew:
- the appearance of yellow spots on the surface of the leaves;
- twisting, drying and falling of the affected leaves;
- the appearance of gray-purple plaque on the plant under conditions of high humidity.
You can cure fungal infections of radishes with pesticides (Efal, Copper oxychloride, Acrobat MC). The drug Fitosporin M. is also suitable. It is necessary to begin processing plants when the first signs of the disease are detected.
Prevention is as follows:
- seed disinfection before planting with manganese solution;
- removal before planting from the beds of last year's foliage and plant debris;
- prevention of thickening of crops.
To prevent spread of the disease, leaves with symptoms of downy mildew should be cut and burned.
Gray rot
The disease causes a fungal microorganism. It can be on the leaves of the culture, but not manifest itself until conditions favorable for its development arise: increased air humidity and low temperature. Root crops, testes and seeds are affected, sometimes leaves that come into contact with the ground.
Manifestations of defeat:
- the appearance of brown spots on the leaves, which are soon covered with a fluffy gray coating;
- the formation of thin leaves between the spots.
If the initial symptoms of the lesion were found, it is necessary to treat the vegetable culture with a composition of chalk and wood ash (a glass of each component), as well as copper sulfate (a teaspoon), diluted in 10 liters of water.
If the lesion is extensive, you need to use a fungicide (Fitosporin-M) or Bordeaux liquid (1%). These funds are effective even in the late stages of infection.
In order to prevent, it is recommended to regularly loosen the soil, to prevent its overmoistening, to observe the rules of crop rotation.
Radish Pests
Various insects cause withering of cruciferous crops. Radish is susceptible to attacks from aboveground and underground pests, which can and should be effectively controlled.
Cruciferous fleas
These are bugs of black color with a shiny surface of the body. They become especially voracious when dry hot days come.
Symptoms of the defeat of radish cruciferous flea:
- thinning leaves;
- the appearance of holes in the green;
- the formation of strokes inside the leaves.
Pests eat leaves to holes, causing them to dry out. Flea larvae destroy the roots of the plant.
To get rid of them, you can use folk remedies and chemicals. Flea control chemicals can be used no earlier than 20 days before harvest.
The most effective drugs:
- Actara;
- Bankol;
- Intavir.
Folk remedies against cruciferous fleas:
- Composition with garlic. To prepare, take a glass of peeled garlic and pass it through a meat grinder. Grind a glass of stepsons of tomatoes in the same way. Mix both compounds, dilute 10 liters of water, strain. Add a tablespoon of liquid soap and start spraying the affected beds.
- Dusting plants with a mixture of street dust and cement powder. Pour the composition into a sieve and sift over the beds.
- Birch tar. In a liter of water, dilute a teaspoon of tar, stirring thoroughly. Spray the finished composition of the plant.
To prevent the appearance of pests, you need:
- water the beds more often, since fleas do not like moisture;
- plant near the site on which radishes, calendula, dill, garlic are planted;
- dig a plot intended for planting radishes, as late as possible in the winter, to raise sleeping bugs to the surface.
This video talks about effective ways to deal with the cruciferous flea:
Cabbage whites
These pests do great harm to cruciferous crops. An adult is a large butterfly of white color with black spots on the front wings. She lays eggs, from which larvae appear that harm the radish.
Symptoms of parasitism of the whitewash on the radish:
- roughly eaten leaves (only veins leave whites);
- the appearance of black dots on plants (excrement of pests);
- twisting leaves.
When whitefish appears, it is recommended to use a solution containing mustard, the smell of which these pests do not tolerate. To cook it, you need to take 100 g of dry mustard, dissolve in 10 l of hot water and leave for two days. Before use, dilute with water in a ratio of 1 to 1. Pour the resulting composition into a spray bottle and treat the affected plants.
You can also use chemicals: Spark M, Fitoverm.
To prevent the appearance of butterflies, you need:
- plant odorous plants along the perimeter of the plot - calendula, marigolds;
- sprinkle the earth under the radish with mint, lemon balm, oregano, finely cut with a knife;
- pour tobacco dust or shag on the beds - their smell also repels insects.
Wireworms
The wireworm is the larva of the nutcracker. This is a very dangerous pest that can be in the thickness of the soil up to 4 years and destroy almost any crop.
Symptoms that indicate a defeat of a vegetable crop by a wireworm:
- holes and straight passages in different parts of the plant;
- rarefaction of seedlings;
- decay of plants.
Fighting the wireworm, if it has already appeared on the beds, is useless: its larvae are underground, and if you use chemicals against them, this will negatively affect the future crop.
Prevention of pests should begin before planting radishes. Similar activities should be carried out after harvesting. They are as follows:
- autumn and spring digging of the soil;
- weed removal along with the rhizome (especially carefully you need to destroy the creeping wheat grass);
- timely application of ammonia fertilizers in recommended doses (nitrate, ammonium sulfate).
In the summer, you need to periodically loosen the soil surface in order to destroy the numerous eggs and larvae of the nutcracker.
Slug
These pests damage parts of root crops that protrude above the surface of the soil, as well as the leaves of the crop. To find them help dried traces of mucus left on the surface of parts of the culture. It is impossible to detect slugs during the day, because they feed only at night, and in the daytime they hide under plant debris.
To protect the crop, it is recommended to carefully inspect the space under the shoots and collect pests, and then take them away from the site.
To scare away slugs, you can scatter crushed shells or lime in a thick layer around the perimeter of the beds. This will make it difficult for pests to access plants.
Stem Nematodes
The most dangerous pests of radish. Nutrition for them is the juice of culture. To get it, pests settle in the stem, root or root neck of the fetus. A bush damaged by nematodes stops development, withers and eventually dies.
Externally, this pest is a fairly small worm, the length of which reaches only 1-1.8 mm.
Symptoms of culture damage:
- slow plant growth;
- deformation of leaves and sprouts;
- unsaturated color of greens;
- the appearance of spindle-shaped thickenings on the stems.
To cope with the pest, use chemical products. The result of the application will be only if the shoots are young. The best time is spring and early summer. Insecticides: Vidat, Dimetoat, help in the fight against the nematode.
Preventive actions:
- verification of planting material before planting in the soil;
- removal of weeds and plant debris from the site;
- disinfection of garden tools;
- soil disinfection before planting a new crop.
Aphid
Small insects parasitize on young leaves of radish, sucking out the juice and causing weakening of the plant.
If these pests are found, it is recommended to wash them off the leaves with a soapy solution.
Ladybugs destroy insects. To attract them to the beds with radishes, next to them you need to plant marigold, chamomile, marigolds.
Another way to help scare away aphids is to spray plants with tobacco infusion or orange peels. You can use the drug Muratsid.
Cabbage fire
The insect parasitizes at night. This is a butterfly with dirty gray wings that lays eggs on the underside of leaves. Caterpillars of the ognevka winter under the ground.
Gnawed radish leaves and passages in the stems are a sign of the appearance of cabbage moth.
To scare off the insect, it is recommended to lay out pieces of fabric on the beds soaked in tar or kerosene.
To prevent the appearance of butterflies on radishes, you need to dig the soil deep in the fall and spring, remove weeds, attract beneficial insects that fight pests.
Cabbage fly
It is not the fly itself that is dangerous for the radish, but the larvae deposited by it. Once underground, they damage the root by gnawing holes in it. Caterpillars damage the leaves of vegetable crops.
If pests appear, it is recommended to treat the plants with slaked lime or naphthalene formulations.If the lesion is extensive, you need to use chemicals - Bitoxibacillin or Lepidocide.
Prevention measures:
- attraction of ground beetles to the beds;
- deep autumn plowing;
- weed removal.
Rapeseed sawfly
This is an insect whose body length reaches 8 mm. The female sawfly lays eggs in the second half of May on the lower part of radish leaves. Hatched caterpillars eat leaves, on which many holes of different sizes appear.
If the lesion is not too large, you can treat the beds with infusion of black bleached. To prepare, take 0.5 kg of dry leaves of this plant, pour 2 liters of hot water and leave for 12 hours. Strain the finished composition, dilute it with 8 liters of water, add a handful of grated laundry soap and spray the bushes.
In difficult cases, you should use chemicals. Entobacterin or Dendrobacillin is suitable.
Prevention:
- deep loosening of the soil;
- destruction of crop residues after harvesting;
- the formation of bait crops.
Crucifer bug
The insect has a flat body with a developed shield that covers half of the body. The peculiarity of the bug is a bright color: on the back there are red, yellow and white spots. It hibernates under plant debris, and with the onset of heat gets out. A convenient habitat for him is various weeds.
Insects lay eggs on the back of the leaf in early summer. Pests bite their proboscis into the stems and leaves, sucking out the juice and thus disrupting metabolism and photosynthesis.
In places where the bug has gnawed a plant, yellow spots form. Affected root crops become mucous and acquire an unpleasant putrefactive odor.
You can drive out bugs with odorous plants: chamomile or wormwood. You can also use onion husks or tobacco dust, sprinkling them around the beds.
It is much easier to prevent the appearance of diseases and pests of radishes than subsequently to get rid of them. To do this, you must adhere to agricultural standards and do not forget about special formulations that protect the plant from various lesions.