The main diseases of black and red currants. Diseases of black, white, red currants and their treatment

Without proper care and prevention, this plant very quickly picks up viruses of all kinds, which are also transmitted by insects to healthy plants.

I’ll tell you a simple secret: you can’t keep currants in a thickened state. Pruning, digging and timely fertilization are the gardener’s main assistants.

If your favorite bush still gets sick, then you need to make a diagnosis and begin treatment.

Powdery mildew

This disease is caused by a fungus that forms a whitish coating on leaves, berries and shoots. At first light gray, the plaque gradually darkens. Most problems due to powdery mildew occurs in young, actively developing bushes.

When the fungus infects a plant, it sucks it out useful material, as a result of which the bush dries out. It overwinters there, in its own fruit formations, which are very difficult to notice: dark dots on the shoots merge with the bark. It spreads to other plants through spores, so it is very important to take action quickly before the disease affects other bushes.

In black currant, diseases and treatment are often associated with the application of fertilizers. Thus, powdery mildew can develop due to excess nitrogen in the soil. During the treatment process, you need to adjust the balance of fertilizers so that there is no relapse.

Diseases are mainly treated by spraying. The entire bush is subject to treatment, including the lower part of the leaves. For the procedure, choose a dry, windless evening. You can use any fungicides and folk remedies. Among the most effective recipes are the following:

Soda solution - 10 liters of water and 50 g soda ash; Currants are sprayed with this composition immediately after flowering;

1 kg sifted wood ash pour a bucket of water, add laundry soap(so that the mixture sticks to the plant better) and leave for several days. Before spraying, filter the infusion;

Before the buds bloom, you can apply the solution copper sulfate- 80 g of product per 10 liters of water.

It is imperative to prevent the disease: trim bushes, remove and burn fallen leaves in which pests can overwinter. If the climate is favorable for the development of fungal diseases, it is advisable to change currant varieties to ones that are more resistant to powdery mildew.

Control of blackcurrant diseases: anthracnose

Anthracnose, or fly beetle, is another fungus that affects currant bushes. Its rapid development is facilitated by a humid climate. First, small dark spots appear on the leaves, which increase as the disease progresses.

Brown spots caused by anthracnose affect leaves and fruits, deform them and weaken the plant. Basically, the fungus settles on green shoots that have not yet become lignified. The falling of leaves that have dried before their deadline leads to metabolic disorders, and this, in turn, significantly reduces the winter hardiness of currants. good preventive measure is the timely destruction of infected leaves: anthracnose spores overwinter on fallen leaves. Among the fungicides that cope well with fly beetles are the following drugs:

"Fitosporin";

"Previkur";

"Acrobat";

"Ridomil".

Each of them is used in accordance with the instructions.

Rust on black currants: diseases and treatment

Orange growths on the leaves and stem are rust. For its development, too much watering in the spring is enough. If there is a pond or swamp in close proximity to the currant bush, then the plant needs to be either replanted further away or the catchment drained: it is on the sedge that the spores of goblet rust live and reproduce.

Columnar or goblet rust covers both the fruit and the green part of the currant with bright spots; infected areas quickly die and crumble.

Both types of fungus are treated with the same fungicides:

"Topaz";

"Previkur";

"Fitosporin-M".

These drugs suppress the development of the fungus, preventing the spores from maturing and spreading the next crop to other plants. In addition, you can spray the bush three times with 1% Bordeaux mixture: when the buds open, before and after flowering.

Prevention of the disease will be transplanting to a higher ground, draining the area, removing nearby sedge thickets, or using resistant varieties: “Titanic”, “Blakestone”, “Alta”, etc.

Columnar rust is not transmitted from sedge, but from coniferous trees, therefore, the best control measure will be frequent inspection of the plant and timely detection of the disease. Treatment is carried out similarly with goblet rust.

Gray spots on leaves: septoria

If areas of an unnatural gray color with a clear brown border are noticed on the currant, it means that the bush is affected by white spotting, otherwise - septoria.

At the second stage of development of the disease, the bush is covered with tiny spherical growths, in which new seedlings of spores are waiting in the wings. If they are allowed to develop and spread, the currants will begin to lose berries and leaves. Mandatory prevention will be the collection and burning of fallen leaves, since the pathogen survives the cold season on it.

Treatment of septoria is carried out with the same fungicides as in the case of anthracnose. From folk remedies Spraying with a solution of copper sulfate helps a lot: 40 g per 10 liters of water. Resistance to the disease is increased by feeding the plant with fertilizers containing microelements.

Viruses: how to combat these blackcurrant diseases

While diseases can be treated, viruses carried by pests cannot be treated. If symptoms of virus infection are detected, you need to make sure of its presence and destroy the plant. The most common are two viral diseases: terry mosaic and striped mosaic.

Terry is detrimental to currant bushes. Otherwise, the virus is called reversion - the currant stops bearing fruit and degenerates. The disease is transmitted by the kidney mite, so to prevent the virus it is necessary to get rid of the pest. Terry can be determined only during flowering:

Dark, thick leaves of an elongated shape, on which there are three teeth (there are five on a healthy leaf), with coarse veins; there is no characteristic currant aroma;

Narrow, elongated petals on flowers of unnatural color (from purple and dirty gray to green); flowering is late, and the inflorescences do not set and fall off.

What to do to avoid losing your currant plantation:

1. Do not take new cuttings from bushes on which the virus has been noticed in the last 2-3 years.

2. Annual inspection of all plants so as not to miss the onset of infection. The trouble is that terry can develop for years and be spread by pests such as aphids or bud mites to other plants, along with the sap of an infected bush. Therefore, pests must be destroyed in a timely manner.

3. Emphasis on potassium-phosphorus fertilizers and foliar feeding (manganese, boron). Nitrogen can provoke a virus.

4. If you notice the terry, remove the bush. Not a shoot, not two, but the whole plant. Over the next 5 years, currants cannot be planted in this place.

Exactly the same means are suitable for combating striped mosaic. It looks like a bright yellow or orange pattern on the leaf veins.

Do not leave the health of the plant to chance, so as not to infect the rest. This is especially true in cases with viruses: if you spare one bush, you risk infecting all the others.

Red and black currants are available on any garden plot. Unfortunately, these plants are often affected various diseases. And today we will look at the main diseases of currants, as well as methods of treating affected plants.

White leaf spot (septoria)

Symptoms: Small spots form on the surface of the leaves Brown, which then turn white. But the brown border remains. Such spots can also cover berries. With severe damage, the bushes begin to shed their leaves.

Treatment: Both the bush itself and the soil around it must be treated with nitrophen or a solution of copper sulfate. Treatment is carried out before the buds open, i.e. in early spring. You can also use the drug "Hom" (40 grams per 10 liters).

During the summer period, treatment with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture is allowed. The first time - before flowering, the second - after its completion, the third - 15 days after the second, the fourth - after harvesting the berries. Bordeaux mixture can be replaced with a solution of copper oxychloride.

American powdery mildew (spheroteka)

Symptoms: All parts of the bush are affected. The disease appears in early or mid-summer in the form of an easily removable white coating. Gradually it becomes more dense and visually begins to resemble brown felt. The affected shoots become bent and their leaves curl. The berries do not fill and fall off.

Treatment: Removing disease-damaged branches. It is also necessary to treat the bush and the soil around it with a solution of iron sulfate (300 grams of the drug per 10 liters of water).

Treating the plant with a fresh solution of bleach (2 spoons per 10 liters of water) is also effective.

The next method is spraying with a solution of soda ash (add 5 grams of soda and 50 grams of soap shavings to 10 liters of water). Treatment is carried out 3 times at intervals of 10 days.

Treatment with any solution can be carried out from the moment the white plaque appears at intervals of 10 days. The last spraying is two weeks before harvest.

Before flowering and after picking berries, currants can also be treated with sulfur, foundationazole or Topaz.

Glass rust

Symptoms: Leaves, flowers and ovaries are covered with rather large tubercles yellow color. It is in them that fungal spores mature.

Treatment: It is recommended to treat with 1% Bordeaux mixture. The first - when the leaves bloom, the second - when the buds appear, the third - immediately after flowering. If the bush is affected too much, then a fourth treatment is carried out (10 days after the last spraying). Currants can also be treated with the drug phytosporin.

Symptoms: A plant affected by the disease is characterized by the appearance of barren flowers of an ugly shape. The petals take on an elongated shape and turn purple. When severely damaged, the flower brush resembles a twig with numerous scales. The foliage on new shoots also changes. The classic five-lobed shape is replaced by a three-lobed one, and the veins on the leaves become very coarse. The leaves acquire a dark green color and lose their characteristic currant smell.

Treatment: Terry disease is a viral disease, and therefore the plant must be destroyed.

Symptoms: The affected plant's branches begin to dry out and die. If you examine the affected shoot, you can see numerous red-brown tubercles on the lower part. Then they turn black.

Treatment: Affected branches must be cut out and burned.

Striped (veined) mosaic

Symptoms: After blooming, the foliage develops a bright yellow pattern around the main veins.

Treatment: Absent. The infected bush must be destroyed.

Columnar rust

Symptoms: Both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf are affected. Small yellow spots form on the top, and characteristic growths resembling yellow hairs form on the bottom.

Treatment: It is necessary to treat with any fungicide. Spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture has worked well. It is carried out three times: when the leaves bloom, during budding, after flowering.

Symptoms: The bark on the branches loses its elasticity and begins to dry out. Most often, weakened bushes are affected.

Treatment: Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology. After preventative pruning, the cut areas must be covered with varnish.

Anthracnose (fly beetle)

Symptoms: Small brown dots appear on the surface of the leaves. Then they begin to merge into a single spot, which causes the sheet to dry out. Anthracnose also affects young shoots, stalks and cuttings.

Treatment: Spraying with nitrophen should be carried out either before blooming or after the leaves fall. In summer, you can use cuprozan or 1% colloidal sulfur. In this case, spraying is carried out before flowering, then after flowering. The third treatment is carried out 10 days after the second. And the last, fourth treatment should be carried out after harvesting. You can also use 1% Bordeaux mixture.

Currant diseases cause severe damage to shrubs and reduce yields. Currants are a valuable crop, so special attention is paid to the fight against currant diseases.

Currant diseases are divided into those caused by fungi, viral and of unknown nature. This article discusses currant diseases caused by various fungi that are often found in gardens.

Currant diseases - currant anthracnose

In addition to fighting diseases, it is necessary to destroy currant pests, which are carriers of infections. Special attention attention should be paid to the fight against the bud mite, which transmits blackcurrant terry.

Currant diseases caused by various fungi are quite easy to treat with proper agricultural practices. It is important to carry out spraying in a timely manner, to prevent high humidity, inspect shrubs and keep the soil in good condition.

Among currant diseases, anthracnose (fly beetle) is a widespread disease. In fact, anthracnose accompanies currants in all cultivation areas. Anthracnose is especially active in the northern and central regions of Russia, that is, in areas with sufficient moisture and average temperatures.

Currant anthracnose is the causative agent of the disease

The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Ps.ribis f.nigri. Fungal spores spread with water or after moisture. Possible spread of spores by insects. The infection most often penetrates from the underside of the leaf, where the mycelium grows.

In years with dry and hot summers, anthracnose practically does not affect currants. The development of this currant disease is facilitated by low location of plots, dense planting, and overgrowth by weeds. Tilling the soil in the autumn-spring period significantly reduces infection reserves. The fungus does not develop on affected leaves buried in the soil.

There are no currant varieties resistant to anthracnose; there are highly resistant varieties, moderately resistant and highly susceptible currant varieties. When choosing a variety, you should pay attention to resistance to anthracnose.

Important! The fungus overwinters only on fallen leaves, forming a new source of infection in the spring!

Description of the disease

Anthracnose affects the leaf surface, but sometimes petioles, young shoots, stalks and berries are affected. Very small brown spots 0.8-1.2 mm in diameter form on the leaves. First, small black varnished tubercles appear where the fungal spores are located. Then the covering tissue ruptures, and the spores come out in the form of white grains.

In the shade or in the depths of the bush, the place where spores form is transparent yellow, similar to gelatin. The leaf tissue turns brown, the leaf dries out and falls off. Red currants can drop leaves with just a few anthracnose spots. Blackcurrant does not shed affected leaves for a long time. Small brown sores form on the petioles and green shoots.

Harm of anthracnose

Currant anthracnose is considered one of the most harmful diseases.
Affected leaves dry out prematurely and fall off.
The supply of nutrients in the branches of affected bushes is significantly reduced.
The general physiological functions of the bush are disrupted, which affects the yield.
Productivity is reduced by more than 50%.
Anthracnose reduces the frost resistance of the bush. In winter, more than 50% of the branches may die off.
Even with good agricultural technology, the bush cannot restore its development next summer and withers.

Measures to combat anthracnose

Measures to combat currant diseases can be divided into agrotechnical and chemical. Agrotechnical techniques have a very important preventive value and can significantly reduce the incidence of plant diseases.

Agrotechnical methods of combating currant anthracnose

The most important trick is correct processing soil. The purpose of the treatment is to embed fallen leaves into the soil. Activities are carried out during autumn and spring tillage and digging of the soil. A fallen leaf is the only source of primary infection!

Even simple soil contamination of a leaf contributes to the destruction of fungal spores by antagonistic bacteria contained in the soil. Preventing excess moisture retention on currant leaves. To do this, you should thin out the bushes, destroy weeds, and remove excess moisture.

When applying fertilizers, sprinkle them on fallen leaves. Cultivate only resistant varieties that are weakly affected by anthracnose.

Chemical methods anthracnose control

In case of severe damage to currants, eradicating spraying with fungicides or a 3% solution is carried out Bordeaux mixture early spring before buds open or in autumn. During the summer, currant bushes are sprayed three times at the following times:

First spraying: immediately after flowering.
Second spray: 10-12 days after the first one.
Third compulsory spraying: after harvesting.

When spraying, be sure to moisten reverse side leaf. With this spraying technique, the infestation of currant leaves is sharply reduced. Red currants are sprayed 8-10 days earlier than black currants. For summer spraying, 1% Bordeaux mixture or 0.5% copper oxychloride solution is recommended.

You can select other fungicides according to the disease, of which there are many on the market. Bordeaux mixture is an old and tested drug that has proven itself well. Currant anthracnose is a well-studied disease. The combined use of proper agricultural technology and chemical protection will ensure the health of currants.

White spot (septoria)

The causative agent of white spotting is the fungus Septoria sibirica. This is one of the most common diseases, manifests itself in all climatic zones. Basically, only the leaves are affected.

Small 2-3 mm brown, then white spots with a narrow brown border form on the leaves. With severe damage, the spots merge. On the surface of the spots in the center on the upper side of the leaf there are dark balls; these are fungal spores.

Septoria blight can affect currant berries, forming flat spots on them. The fungus overwinters on affected fallen leaves. Fungal spores come to the surface when they swell from moisture in humid weather or from excessive watering. Leaves become infected from the underside.

White spotting develops more strongly in wet years and in conditions of severe neglect. Harm of white spotting:

When massively damaged, currants drop their leaves.
Currant bushes stop growing and begin to wither.
Damage to the berries leads to the death of the crop.
The disease greatly affects next year's yield.
Currant diseases. Measures to combat white spotting.
Agrotechnical practices:
Destruction of fallen overwintered leaves.
Autumn and early spring treatment soil in rows and between rows with digging between bushes.
Cutting through thickened bushes.
Prevention of moisture stagnation.

Chemical methods for controlling white spotting

Spraying bushes according to the scheme. See currant anthracnose. The first is immediately after flowering, the second is 10 days later, the third is after harvesting. Spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture is recommended.

Adding microelements (zinc, copper, manganese, boron) to the soil to increase resistance to the disease. Other types of currant blight are ascochyta blight and cercospora blight. Measures to combat all spotting are the same as for white spotting.

Currant rust

There are columnar rust, goblet rust, and leaf rust. The causative agent of rust is different kinds mushrooms

Columnar rust

The causative agent is the fungus Cronartium ribicola Dietr. The disease is very widespread throughout Russia. Columnar rust attacks leaves. Orange pustules appear on the underside of the leaf. These growths begin to quickly powder, resulting in the formation of a mass of brightly colored spores.

Yellow spots form on the upper side of the leaf. The underside of the sheet is completely covered with a bright orange coating of rust. Leaves turn brown, die and fall off prematurely.

The disease appears on currants in early August and spreads quickly. Columnar rust is native to Siberia.

Damage from columnar rust

Happening mass destruction leaves.
The leaves fall 1-1.5 months ahead of schedule.
The yield of currants and the growth of young shoots are reduced.
The supply of nutrients in the bush decreases.

Measures to combat columnar rust

Autumn and spring tillage.
Collect and destroy all fallen leaves.
Spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture 3 times per season is effective (see anthracnose for the diagram)
Early spring eradicative spraying of dormant buds with 3% Bordeaux mixture or 0.5% copper oxychloride.

Glass rust

The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Puccinia ribesii caricis. Glass rust is very widespread. Dangerous for both currants and gooseberries. The appearance of goblet rust is the same for currants and gooseberries. Bright orange pads form on the leaves, flowers and ovaries of currants.

In the second half of summer, signs of the disease disappear. The greatest infection of currants occurs during flowering, as a result of which flowers and young ovaries are severely affected. The development of the disease is favored by wet weather in spring and the proximity of sedge growth.

Harm of glass rust

Goblet rust can affect up to 80% of leaves, which leads to their premature fall. Affected flowers also fall off. All this leads to low yields.

Measures to combat glass rust

Since the disease appears only in spring and early summer, it is important to inspect currant bushes in the spring. A spring inspection of currants will help identify the disease and the extent of damage. Agrotechnical techniques and chemical methods for combating goblet rust:

When planting, avoid low, wetlands, and do not allow the site to be located close to swamps overgrown with sedge.
Fighting infesting sedges on the site.
Cultivation of resistant varieties.

Chemical methods of combating glass rust.

Early spraying 1% Bordeaux mixture. Early spraying is crucial, since this currant disease develops only in the first half of summer.

First spraying: during leaf bloom
Second spraying: during budding
Third spraying: immediately after flowering.

In case of severe infestation, a fourth spraying is allowed. It is possible to carry out a preventive spray on dormant buds before the leaves bloom with 3% Bordeaux mixture. Such spraying is preventive against a complex of diseases.

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a very common disease. Spread by fungi: American powdery mildew, western powdery mildew, downy mildew.

American powdery mildew.

American powdery mildew affects both currants and gooseberries. Shoots of young growth are affected. First, a grayish coating forms, which then turns brown. The plaque covers the very end of the young shoot and the growth point. Leaves do not develop. The petioles, lower base of the leaf and large veins are affected; a gray coating is visible on the underside.

Control measures:

Pruning and destruction of affected shoots and leaves is necessary. It is not recommended to plant currants and gooseberries nearby.
Wild currant varieties are most sensitive to powdery mildew. Wild and semi-cultivated currant bushes on the site should be destroyed.
Cultivate resistant varieties.
In the fall, you should collect all the fallen leaves and dried berries, cut off the hook-shaped ends of the shoots, capturing 1-2 live buds and burn them.
Dig up the soil around the bushes.
Early in the spring, prune the shoots again.

In autumn and spring, spray the bushes with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or a 3% solution of iron sulfate. Spraying should be done before the leaves bloom, as there may be a burn. When buds open, after flowering, and twice with an interval of 10 days, spray with a solution of soda ash with soap or soap-copper emulsion.

Instead of baking soda and soap, you can use a soap-copper emulsion. Dissolve 150g in 9 liters of water. soap Separately dissolve in glassware in 1 liter of water 5 grams of copper sulfate. Then pour the copper sulfate solution in a thin stream into the soap solution. The correct emulsion should have a greenish color and not form flakes.

Today, modern effective fungicides to combat spheroteka or American powdery mildew. They should be sprayed according to the same scheme. The drug "Topaz" is effective.

Western powdery mildew

Western powdery mildew forms an inconspicuous white coating, which is located in separate spots. Then the plaque disappears and black balls form mainly on the underside of the leaf.

Control measures.

Agronomic techniques are the same as for other fungal diseases. It is especially worth noting the destruction of affected leaves. Chemical methods include spring eradication spraying and summer spraying with fungicide preparations.

Other diseases caused by various fungi are blackberry, currant sponge, root rot, drying out of branches, downy mildew, root canker.

High agricultural technology, proper care for currants, cultivation of resistant varieties, spraying according to the scheme, eradicating spring spraying, timely cutting and destruction of diseased branches and leaves significantly reduce currant diseases caused by fungi.

Red currants, the diseases and treatment of which directly affect the quantity and quality of the harvest, were cultivated by the Dutch back in the 5th century, but only for aesthetic reasons. Due to its high decorative qualities, the shrub was used to decorate gardens. Currently, an unpretentious shrub plant is a permanent inhabitant of almost every land plot, delighting gardeners not only with their decorative appearance, but also with healthy sweet and sour berries.

Red currant - nuances of growing

Due to the undemanding culture, growing red currants is suitable even for those gardeners who do not have the opportunity or desire to spend a lot of time and effort on care.

However, it is important that when planting seedlings, the characteristics of the culture are taken into account:

Lighting – currants like to grow in open, well-lit areas where natural ventilation occurs.
Soil – the crop prefers loose, light soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.
Humidity - the shrub tolerates quite high level occurrence of groundwater.

Caring for red currants in open ground

Comprehensive care of red currants involves such activities as watering, caring for the tree trunk area, fertilizing, and pruning.

Watering and mulching

Currants need a lot of water in hot summer weather and after flowering, when the fruits are filled. To retain moisture in tree trunk circle It is recommended to mulch with sawdust, which will also reduce the time spent on weeding and loosening.

Loosening and weeding

After moistening, the soil in the tree trunk circle should be loosened and cleared of weeds. Procedures must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the surface root system of the crop.

Fertilizer application

The organization of additional nutrition is an important component of care. To achieve high levels of harvest every year, it is necessary to enrich the soil with nutrients that are consumed by the crop during the growing season.

Feeding is carried out several times per season:

In early spring, 40-50 g of nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied per 1 m2.
Before flowering, fertilizing is carried out with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers at the rate of 20 g and 25 g per 1 m2, respectively.
In autumn, each bush is fed with superphosphate in the amount of 100 g and potassium sulfate - 30 g, which allows the currants to endure the winter without stress.

Red currant diseases are not uncommon, despite increased immunity plants and its good resistance to many diseases. The article provides a description of various diseases of red currant, as well as a description of methods for controlling pests of this crop.

Diseases of red currant leaves

Red currant leaf disease can manifest itself in a wide variety of cases. Even proper care, consisting of regular preventive measures, cannot always guarantee the health of your favorite berries.

Climatic conditions, features of the terrain and soil in which the plant grows can have the most detrimental effect on it. And it often happens like this: at first glance, it seems that there are no factors provoking the disease, however, if we consider them together, it turns out that the reason lies in several of them at once.

Most currant diseases are fungal or viral in nature. Lesions of the bacterial type are quite rare, although they also occur. Many of them can be cured, however, there are a number of diseases, after which the plant will have to not only be removed from the garden, but also all traces of its presence must be destroyed.

In order for the treatment of red currant diseases to be effective and successful, it must be started on time. To do this, you should regularly diagnose the condition of green pets in the garden. Daily inspections will help you quickly determine the source of infection and take adequate measures in time.

Important! In most cases, treatment consists of stopping the obvious manifestations of the disease and its further preventive support.

Let's look at the descriptions of red currant diseases on specific examples with photos.

Glass rust

The symptoms of this disease are not immediately noticed, since everything happens on the lower part of the red currant leaves. It is not possible to detect the problem during a routine inspection.

An interesting fact is that red currants are only a temporary host of the fungus. To continue its development, the fungus needs to spray spores. This happens at the moment when a dying leaf falls from the bush. Further development of the rust fungus occurs on another host.

Glass rust is a very unpleasant disease. It can lead to a loss of 50% to 70% of the crop. Most often, plants growing near natural bodies of water and in conditions of high humidity are susceptible to it.

Powdery mildew

The most common disease of all gooseberries is powdery mildew, often called spheroteca. Fortunately, it is red currants that have the highest resistance to this disease. And, nevertheless, cases of the disease are recorded, although infrequently.

The main risk group is young plants under 3 years old. Symptoms of the disease manifest themselves in the covering of the affected areas with a white coating of a fairly hard consistency, which turns brown and hardens even more over time.

With further development of the disease, the leaves become deformed and the berries disappear. In addition, advanced cases of powdery mildew lead to a decrease in the plant’s immunity, and it may die.

Anthracnose

The main symptom of this red currant disease is red leaves. The causative agent is an ascomycete fungus.

Usually red spots are just the beginning of the disease. They look like small (up to 3 mm) tubercles and are mainly located on the lower row of leaves.

Over time, their hue changes to orange. At the same time, partial lesions merge into large spots that occupy most leaf surfaces and bordered with a purple border.

With further development of the disease, anthracnose covers not only the leaves, but also other parts of the plant. Almost any plant above the soil can be affected by the fungus. Fruits affected by a fungal infection are also affected by the ascomycete and rot.

The disease is easily transmitted from affected plants to healthy ones through plant debris, fruits and seeds, as well as through soil.

The prevalence of the disease has a fairly wide range. For example, almost the entire temperate climate zone is at risk. Favorable condition for the development of anthracnose is high humidity (up to 90%), moderate temperature (+ 20-22 ° C) and frequent precipitation, therefore in the southern and arid regions it is much less common.

Terry

Another name for the disease is reversion. Its causative agent is still unknown. It is assumed that such changes in the tissues of red currants are caused by a virus, although there is evidence that the disease may also be fungal.

Despite the fact that black currants are more often affected by this disease, approximately every tenth case of reversion occurs in red ones.

There can be several sources of spread of the disease:

infected planting material;
bud and flower mites;
in rare cases, aphids.

The symptoms of the disease are very unusual. The plant changes significantly appearance, in particular, the leaves become three-lobed, the veins and teeth along the edges of the leaves become more textured. The size of the leaves also changes - they sometimes decrease by 1.5-2 times.

The flowers are significantly deformed - growths form instead violet shade. The number of leaves increases and deformed shoots appear. The bush may look uneven, lopsided, and asymmetrical. In general, in some cases it is impossible to even say whether it is red currant or not.

It has been noted that during dry periods terryness practically does not appear. But in conditions of high humidity it is observed quite often.

Septoria

Another name for this disease is gray spotting. Symptoms of the disease include the appearance large quantity red-brown spots on currant leaves. As the disease progresses, the affected area increases in size and takes on the shape of a circle. The spot boundary has interesting feature: the spots on it have a clearly defined White color in the central part.

Over time, the leaves of the plant completely fall off, even those leaves on which the damage was not visually observed. It is believed that there are no varieties of red currants that are immune to septoria, although, as in the case of other diseases, it is not red currants that are most often affected, but black currants.

Diseases of red currant bark

In addition to leaf diseases, red currants are rarely susceptible to bark diseases. Let's look at red currant bark diseases with photographs.

Phomopsiasis

With this disease, a sudden withering of the part of the branch located above the lesion occurs. Along with the branch, naturally, the leaves also wither. At the same time, the core of the shoot remains unchanged and does not even change its color. The cause of this disease is a fungus living in the bark. It may not manifest itself for several years, but with the advent of normal conditions, it is activated.

One focus of Phomopsia is enough to infect the entire plant. When affected by this disease, the shoot is completely lost.

Tuberculariosis

A disease that is also fungal in nature. Visually, darkening of entire sections of shoots is observed, while, similar to Phomopsia, only the bark is affected. However, unlike it, complete drying out of the shoot does not occur, that is, the process of the disease is reversible.

The leaves on the affected stem become limp and wrinkle, the flowers fall off, and the fruits, if they have already set, dry out. The life cycle of the fungus that causes tuberculosis is two years, that is, if timely measures are not taken, the situation will repeat itself next year.

Methods of treatment and prevention of diseases

Let's look at how red currant diseases are treated and prevented, most important points Photos will be illustrated for clarity.

Treatment of already advanced forms of diseases, especially fungal ones, is ineffective and, most likely, will be pointless. Therefore, in most cases, therapy procedures will be reduced to removing from the plant and destroying damaged areas, disinfecting the cut sites and taking various preventive measures.

Thus, the treatment of anthracnose is reduced to treating the leaves several times a month with solutions of Bordeaux mixture at a concentration of 1%. An alternative to this method is the use of Nitrafen, the effectiveness of which is several times higher than treatment with Bordeaux mixture.

Important! Nitrafen dissolves in the soil for a long time. It is not recommended to use it more than one cycle per season.

Similar activities are carried out for the treatment of other fungal diseases. Powdery mildew, goblet rust, and in general all fungi stop their development and spread quite well when treated with Bordeaux mixture.

In some cases, a solution of ferrous sulfate in a concentration of 3-5% is also used.

The use of a colloidal sulfur solution at a concentration of 1% against powdery mildew has also proven itself to be quite effective. Usually in such doses it is used for prophylactic purposes, and when applied directly to the affected areas, the concentration is increased to 2%.

Gray spot and red currant bark diseases, in addition to the traditional remedies discussed, can also be treated by special means, for example, Fundazol or Topaz, as well as their analogues.

To combat reversion, garlic infusion is used (100 g of crushed garlic is poured warm water), which is sprayed on plants a week after flowering. Treatments are repeated several times at intervals of 2 weeks.

However, it is not the drug that defeats the disease, but the immune system. To do this, the plant needs to create certain conditions so that it can independently cope with any problem. Let's consider what preventive measures are necessary to help currants overcome possible diseases or avoid infection altogether:

Already at the stage of planting and selecting seedlings, it is necessary to carefully select planting material in order to prevent uninvited guests from the kingdom of mushrooms from appearing on the site.
It is advisable to disinfect seedlings before planting. Usually, one immersion for no more than 5 minutes in a solution of copper sulfate with a concentration of 1% is sufficient, followed by rinsing it with water.
Planting should be done in places where there were no other gooseberries before, in order to avoid the entry of fungal spores from plants that previously lived there.
Fallen leaves must be removed from the site and destroyed.
The soil within a radius of at least 50 cm from the bushes must be constantly loosened and dug up. Ideally, it is advisable to use mulching with a cycle of changing mulch material at least once a month.
At the very beginning and just before the end of the season (the time when insect carriers of fungal diseases are especially active), plants should be sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture or iron sulfate.
During the summer season, similar sprayings should be carried out up to 4 times at intervals of 2-3 weeks or in connection with the agrotechnical cycle of the crop:

first spraying - before budding begins;
the second - immediately after flowering;
the third – 1-2 weeks after the second;
fourth - immediately after harvest.

By carrying out such activities, you can be guaranteed to rid yourself of 90% of cases of various red currant diseases appearing on your site.

Pests of red currants

In addition to diseases, red currants are also endangered by certain types of pests that can not only feed on the juices and fruits of the plant, but also be carriers of many of the previously listed diseases.

Let's look at the most common pests of red currants and how to combat them.

Gall (red currant) aphid

The most annoying pest of all. Its peculiarity is that it causes damage to the leaves at the tops of the shoots and can damage the growth cone, after which the entire shoot can die. The result of the work of this pest is the appearance of red tubercles on young leaves at the top of the shoots.

Often a growing colony of pests spreads to other leaves; their spread speed is so high that literally within 1-2 days the entire bush can be affected. That is why it is necessary to carefully inspect the plant every day for the appearance of various pests.

Currant goldenrod

Also a nasty pest. First of all, it is unpleasant because its destruction requires the use of insecticides that are potentially dangerous to humans. The goldenrod is a small pest, which is a small bug a few mm in size. It has an interesting shiny metallic yellow-green color.

The peculiarity of the pest is its relative invisibility - the larva of the borer makes passages in the core of the red currant, so its appearance can be noticed after the fact, when, in fact, nothing can be done.

Adult beetles lay eggs on young shoots and feed on leaves.

How to control pests on red currants

Fighting aphids is quite simple. There are many insecticides that have a long-term effect, cope well with it and do not have any effect on humans. Examples of such drugs are Biotlin or Fitoverm.

Various pests from the insect world (weevils, moths, sawflies and spider mites) can be treated with a wide range of insecticides - from the most powerful Actellik to simple Agrovertin.

To combat pests such as borer beetles, leaf gall midges, glass beetles and others that are highly resistant to insecticides, preventive methods are used, which consist of constantly loosening the soil around the plant and regular weeding. Fallen leaves and dried shoots are also regularly collected. In addition, their larvae are more vulnerable to insecticides, and, knowing the time when the larvae of these pests emerge from the ground, you can treat the soil with weaker and non-hazardous insecticides, for example, Karbofos.

Conclusion

Red currant diseases can cause a lot of trouble for gardeners, but you should not despair when they appear. The course of diseases and the life cycle of red currant pests have been sufficiently well studied and methods of counteracting them have already been repeatedly tested in practice.

There are no similar entries.