All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

Cucumbers, like any other plants grown in the garden, can be subject to various infectious diseases. One of the most common diseases that pose a danger to this crop is Fusarium wilt.

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

Description

Fusarium is a disease caused by the Fusarium fungus. The disease affects cucumbers growing both in the greenhouse and in the open field. Infection with this disease can occur through water, infected seeds or contaminated soil. The following factors contribute to its development:

  • sudden change in temperature;
  • high humidity;
  • lack of sunlight;
  • prolonged cooling;
  • mechanical damage to the roots;
  • high acidity of the soil.

The disease develops very quickly. But at the initial stages, it is very difficult to notice it.

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

When examining the site, a person should pay attention to the following symptoms of the disease.

  • Stem darkening. The disease primarily affects the lower part of the bush. The root neck of the cucumber darkens and becomes covered with a dense coating.
  • Shoot cracking. As the disease spreads, cucumber stems thin and crack. Over time, they completely dry out.
  • wilting foliage. First, the leaves that are in the lower part of the bush wither. They turn yellow, covered with brown spots of various sizes and curl. At this time, the plant already looks quite sick.
  • Falling ties. If an adult plant is sick, the flowers and ovaries begin to crumble from it. Fruits on such bushes either do not appear at all, or appear in small quantities. If the disease affects a fruiting plant, the cucumbers growing on it are deformed and have a bitter taste.

Having noticed these signs, the gardener should immediately begin to fight Fusarium. Otherwise, the plants will die and the person will be without a crop.

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

Fighting Fusarium wilt is quite difficult. Gardeners do it in all available ways.

Chemicals

To quickly save cucumbers, gardeners prefer to treat the beds with chemicals. The following are the most popular.

  • Fundazol. This chemical preparation is used to treat the area twice. The interval between procedures should be within 20 days. The last time the bushes should be sprayed no later than a month before harvesting.
  • “Topsin-M”. It is one of the most effective fungicides. It can be used for processing both young seedlings and adult bushes. After spraying the plants with this preparation, they are protected by the active substance for another two weeks.
  • “Humisol”. This drug is used to prevent fusarium. They process planting material and seedlings.

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

You need to use these products following the instructions on the package. Before use, the gardener must wear protective clothing, gloves and a mask.

Biopreparations

Suitable for processing cucumbers and various biological preparations. It is recommended to treat adult plants with Fitosporin. Seedlings can be sprayed with a drug called Vitaros.

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

All products for the fight against fusarium are sold in sealed packages. You can find them in most gardening stores. It is necessary to use biological products, as well as chemicals, according to the instructions.

They can be used not only in case of infection of plants, but also to prevent it. Some gardeners prefer to spray cucumbers throughout the growing season with an interval of 2-3 weeks.

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

Folk remedies

Many gardeners prefer to treat cucumbers with folk remedies. The following products can be used to treat the area.

  • Wood ash. Gardeners use dry ashes to fight many diseases. For the treatment of fusarium, a solution is prepared consisting of 200 grams of ash and two tablespoons of liquid soap. This mixture is diluted in a liter of warm water. The product is used to treat plants immediately.
  • Onion husks. The collected dry husks are placed in a saucepan and filled with water. The product is boiled for half an hour. After that, the liquid is filtered. The solution is used for spraying plants. The procedure should be repeated 3-4 times in a row with a break of several days. The remaining husks can be sent to the compost pit or embedded in the soil. It will be an excellent fertilizer for most plants.
  • Milk. For the treatment of bushes, a mixture of milk and iodine is used. A small amount of iodine and 70-100 grams of soap are added to a glass of dairy products. All this is thoroughly mixed. The resulting mixture carefully process the shoots and lower foliage. It is most convenient to do this with a small brush. You can also use whey instead of milk.
  • Garlic. A small amount of garlic is finely chopped and placed in a container with water. The remedy for combating Fusarium is infused for a day. After that, it must be diluted in a bucket of water and used to spray infected bushes. A product with such a pungent odor also repels many pests very well.

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

All about Fusarium wilt of cucumber

Folk remedies are used to treat only those plants that are not yet too heavily infected. In other cases, they will not help. If the plants have been infected and it is not possible to save the cucumbers, they must be removed from the site. To destroy the fungus, plant residues are recommended to be burned.

Preventive measures

In order not to waste time on the treatment of fusarium, the gardener should remember certain preventive measures.

  • Observe crop rotation. Seedlings should not be planted in areas where cucumbers have grown before. If plants suffering from fusarium were previously on the site, cucumbers should not be planted there for another 3-4 years. After all, the fungus that provokes the development of the disease remains in the soil for a long time. To cleanse the site of toxins, the gardener should sow green manure in the beds, for example, white mustard.
  • Disinfect seeds before planting. You can do this in any way possible. Most often, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is used for this purpose.
  • Disinfect tools. This should be done both when transplanting plants and when pruning stems. Before planting cucumbers in greenhouses, the room also needs to be processed. For this, it is best to use copper sulfate.
  • Apply fertilizer to the soil. Plants need to be fertilized on a regular basis. This will not only help improve the yield of the bushes, but also make the cucumbers stronger. Therefore, it will be easier for them to resist Fusarium and other diseases. If the soil in the area is acidic, wood ash should be embedded in the ground in autumn.
  • Plant only healthy seedlings. Weak seedlings must be destroyed. When transplanting seedlings to a bed, it is advisable to spill the soil with boiling water or disinfect it with a solution of potassium permanganate.
  • Destroy all weeds. Cucumbers growing on neglected beds get sick much more often. Therefore, all weeds must be removed regularly. The soil in the process must be loosened. This should be done very carefully so as not to injure the plants.
  • Water the beds. Warm water must be used for irrigation. This procedure should be carried out after sunset. In this case, do not flood the plants. This will cause the plant roots to rot.
  • Dispose of plant debris after harvest. Tops, roots and various debris must be destroyed, and the soil must be disinfected.

If you properly care for the site and the cucumbers growing on it, the gardener will not have to deal with most of the diseases that pose a danger to this crop.

Sustainable varieties

Completely resistant to Fusarium varieties of cucumbers do not exist. But there are some plants that get sick much less often.

  • “Noble”. This is an early maturing hybrid that can be grown both outdoors and indoors. Such cucumbers grow even in conditions that are not very suitable for this crop. Their fruits are very tasty. They are ideal for salting and preparing salads.
  • “Rowan”. This variety is also a hybrid. It is usually chosen for growing in greenhouses. The plant has large smooth leaves. Its fruits are even and large. They are great for conservation.
  • “Hector”. The self-pollinating hybrid differs in short term of maturing. The plant is unpretentious to temperature extremes and is not afraid of high humidity. This variety of cucumbers can be planted for those who plan to sell fruits.
  • “Kristina”. An early ripe hybrid bears excellent fruit. The fruits are suitable for pickling. As a rule, they are plucked quite small. You can harvest once every two days. You can grow such cucumbers both in the beds and in the greenhouse.
  • “Dunyasha”. This type of cucumber is ideal for growing in cold regions. Plants are resistant to viral and fungal diseases. They bear fruit well. Therefore, the crop is consumed fresh and used for pickling.
  • Zhukovsky. The hybrid is resistant to fusarium and powdery mildew. Therefore, gardeners usually do not have problems with growing such cucumbers. The fruits are cylindrical. Their surface is covered with small tubercles.
  • Vityaz. This is one of the most popular hybrid varieties. Its yield is high. The plant is resistant not only to Fusarium, but also to other diseases. You can grow a crop both in open ground and in greenhouses.

Knowing all the features of this disease, the gardener may well save cucumbers from Fusarium wilt.

Anna Evans

Author-editor

View all posts by Anna Evans →
Exit mobile version