Apple trees are one of the most unpretentious fruit trees. They can be successfully grown both in the sunny southern regions of Russia, and in the northern ones, where frosts reach -25 ° C and below. With a noble harvest, these fruit crops generously thank gardeners for their diligent care. If it is carried out regularly and competently, diseases of apple trees rarely visit the garden. The use of the correct methods of agricultural technology is a kind of protective armor for apple trees, which does not allow them to pass to them assorted parasitic organisms that massively inhabit the environment. If they still managed to hit the tree, correct and timely actions quickly block the source of infection and eliminate it without waiting for the consequences. This article offers descriptions of apple diseases with photographs and ways to get rid of them, as well as information on how to care for this crop so that diseases bypass the garden.
What problems do apple trees have
Trees, like people, suffer fromvarious microscopic, visible to the eye and invisible parasites that cause many diseases. In particular, apple trees can affect:
- Bacteria.
- Mushrooms.
- Viruses.
- Insects.
Another reason why apple trees get sick is improper agricultural practices. At the same time, the tree always does not look as lush and beautiful as expected, gives a small harvest, sheds foliage early, is easily susceptible to diseases, and does not live long.
Soil preparation
Microbes that cause the most dangerous diseases of apple trees infect the tree in different ways. This can happen already at the time of planting the seedling, if there are damages on its roots. The fact is that dozens of pathogenic viruses and bacteria live in the soil. To prevent a young tree from getting sick, some gardeners recommend disinfecting the soil in which the seedling is placed.
There are several ways to treat the soil. If you are just planning to set up an apple orchard, it is recommended to sow mustard (30 kg per hectare) in the spring on the selected site a year before. In summer, already grown enough plants are plowed into the ground and almost immediately they sow mustard and calendula again. New plants are plowed in autumn. This method will not only help to kill many harmful microorganisms in the ground and get rid of dangerous nematode larvae, but will also become an excellent bio-fertilizer.
Effective preventive treatment of apple trees from diseases consists in some manipulations with the root of the seedling. It must be carefully inspected for any damage before landing. It may be incomprehensiblegrowths, broken parts, traces of various tools, suspiciously soft fragments, and so on. All questionable parts must be removed. Experienced gardeners recommend placing the seedling root for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then for a day in water, where Kornevin or Heteroauxin should be added.
Other ways of infection
The most productive and inevitable way of transmission of infection is the paws of insects. You can try to discourage the parasites from visiting the apple tree. But what about the bees? If they are not allowed into a flowering garden, then there will be no harvest. Unfortunately, these working insects are also capable of transporting viruses and bacteria on their paws and abdomen. Birds can also act as carriers. If there are germ-infected trees in the area, the likelihood that your apple trees will become sick is very high. A bacterial burn is especially dangerous in this regard. Cases were recorded when he forced to cut down many hectares of gardens.
Insect transmission of microscopic pests cannot be prevented. And diseases of apple trees because of this, unfortunately, cannot be avoided. In order to resist their development, it is necessary to choose varieties of apple trees that are resistant to them, to carry out agricultural technology correctly, and to feed the trees in time. If they are strong and he althy, it is much easier for them to fight the disease that has happened.
Mushroom spores can also move from a diseased plant to a he althy one with the help of insects. In addition, they are able to travel by water (for example, during heavy rains) and by air. The spores are very light, almost weightless. The wind picks them up andcarries hundreds of meters away from the source of infection.
Below we will present a description of the diseases of apple trees with photos and tell you how to deal with them.
European cancer (common)
This disease is caused by the fungus Neonectria galligena. A characteristic feature is brown spots that appear on the bark. Soon they begin to crack, exposing ulcers, which are framed by a protruding callus layer.
After a couple of years, the ulcers deepen, and the wood in these places dies off. This manifestation of the disease of the apple tree is clearly visible in the photo. If European cancer has struck a young apple tree, it may die in 3 years. If the disease manifests itself massively, then ulcers are noticeable on the skeletal branches. Spores begin to develop along their edges, clusters of which look like creamy pads, somewhat moist to the touch. When they dry out, they darken and coarsen. Mature spores infect neighboring parts of the tree, including leaves. They become covered with brown spots, gradually dry up, fall off. The fruits, if they were able to start, are also covered with brown spots localized at the stalk. These apples rot quickly.
Black Cancer
Caused by the fungus Sphaeropsis malorum Berck, which penetrates wood through various cracks and wounds. Manifests mainly in the forks of large branches.
First, brownish depressed spots appear on the bark, which soon darken. In their place or nearby, black pycnidia (fruiting bodies of fungi) are formed. The bark of the apple tree begins to resemble goose bumps. She isblackens, bulges, cracks, dries up and falls off. The spores of the fungus also affect the fruits and leaves. Brown spots resembling black rot can also be seen on them. Young apple trees affected by black cancer do not live longer than 2 years. You can fight for the old ones. The disease can quickly spread to neighboring trees (not just apple trees).
Treatment methods
Cancer can infect any tree that has mechanical lesions on the bark and/or branches. Remember - this is an open gate for fungus spores.
This disease of apple trees is very difficult to treat. You can advise the removal of all diseased branches with their subsequent burning. The place of the cut or saw cut must be treated with copper sulphate and painted over with oil paint. The same can be done with cankers if they are located on large branches that cannot be pruned.
Prevention is planned pruning, removal of all residues in autumn, covering all cracks in the bark with garden pitch (they may appear after winter due to temperature changes or damage to the tree by hares). Another effective preventive method that will help protect against the disease is the processing of apple trees in the spring by generously spraying with Bordeaux mixture. It should be carried out in the spring, when there are no leaves on the tree yet. In autumn, when the leaves have already fallen, you can repeat the treatment. She will not be superfluous.
Cytosporosis (or bark shrinkage)
This disease is caused by several fungi at once: Cytospora schulzeri Sacc. et Syd., C. carphosperma Fr. and C. microspora Roberh. The latter parasite also infects pears. Giventhe disease can be brought into the garden with low-quality seedlings, therefore, when buying, they must be very carefully examined for all kinds of damage. It manifests cytosporosis by the appearance of brown spots on the bark of the branches. After a while, gray-brown tubercles (stromas) form in these places, which soon break through. The affected areas of the bark dry up, but remain on the tree. The fungus penetrates the cambium, causing the branches to dry out.
Contribute to infection with cytosporosis mechanical and thermal (burns) damage to the bark of apple trees.
Control measures consist of cutting out diseased branches and burning them, as well as treating the tree with copper sulphate (Bordeaux liquid) at the time of bud break, before flowering, after it and in autumn. With cytosporosis, feeding the apple tree with phosphorus and potassium is very important.
Root rot
The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Armillaria mellea. This ailment is popularly called apple honey mushroom. The parasite grows on the stumps and roots of apple trees (live). In wood, it forms numerous black threads-rhizomorphs, thanks to which it spreads over large areas. On the surface you can see yellow-brown hats on legs. These are the fruiting bodies of the fungus. Settling in an apple tree, it causes wood decay and tree death.
The control measures are the same as for apple tree cancer. That is, it is necessary to treat apple trees from the disease with a Bordeaux mixture by spraying the tree, remove and burn diseased branches. Any fungicide containing copper should also be poured under the tree.
Scab
It is caused by the fungus Venturia inaegualis Wint. The spores of the fungus initially infect the leaves, later they infect the fruits and young shoots. Brown velvety spots begin to appear on the leaf plates from the upper side. At the beginning of the growing season, they are larger, but if infection has occurred since the second half of summer, they turn out to be smaller, barely noticeable. Below is a photograph of an apple disease that shows a diseased leaf. Fruits affected by scab are unfit for consumption. The development of the fungus is facilitated by damp rainy days, low temperatures for the growing season.
Control measures are spraying the trees with Bordeaux mixture (3%), after flowering again with Bordeaux mixture (1%), 21 days after flowering. Preparations: "Skor", "Abiga-Peak", Bordeaux liquid, "Rayek", "Ditan", "Horus".
Powdery mildew
This is perhaps the most common disease affecting all plants. On the apple tree, it is caused by the fungus Podosphaera leucotricha Salm. The description of this apple tree disease is familiar to both gardeners and gardeners, because on any plant its main symptom is a grayish-white coating. Under appropriate conditions (damp spring, dense planting), it may appear on the leaves and inflorescences of apple trees as early as May. The fungus quickly spreads to growing shoots. At the same time, the leaves curl, dry and fall off, the shoots are deformed, the ovaries fall off. If the infection occurred at a later stage of the growing season, a loose brown-red mesh appears on the apples. The fungus overwinters in the buds and bark and beginsdevelop with the first warm days.
It is imperative to treat apple trees in the spring for a disease popularly known as powdery mildew. Before the start of the growing season, the trees are sprayed with a solution of colloidal sulfur (80 g per bucket of water), during the flowering period with Topaz, Skor, Quadris, Gamair. After flowering, they are sprayed again with copper chloride, and in the fall with copper sulphate. You can also use liquid soap.
Rust
It is caused by the fungus Gymnosporangium tremelloides Hartig. Leaves are mainly affected, but sometimes rust can be observed on fruits and shoots. The manifestation of the disease is very recognizable - bright orange spots with black dots appear on the upper side of the leaf plate, and orange aetsia (groups of spores) appear on the lower side. They darken over time. The rust fungus lives on the Cossack juniper, which is why these trees cannot be planted near the apple orchard.
Control measures are to treat the apple tree with anti-rust preparations: "HOM", Bordeaux mixture, "Abiga-Peak" and others.
Spotting
They are caused by a number of parasitic fungi. Spotting is as follows: brown, ascochitous, variegated. They differ in the color of the spots formed on the leaves and fruits (yellowish, brown, grayish, with and without bordering). Diseased leaves fall off prematurely, as a result of which the tree does not receive the full amount of the substances it needs. Frost resistance and disease resistance are falling.
Control measures include spraying apple trees before and after flowering with Bordeaux liquid (1%) or equivalents. The insecticide "Nitrofen" is excellent, which needs to be treated with apple trees in the spring. From pests and diseases, this drug protects perfectly. It kills not only spotting, rust, curly fungi, but also insect eggs. You need to use a 3% solution.
Moniliosis
Two mushrooms excite him - Monilia cinerea and Monilia fructigena. They infect mainly seedlings and young branches of apple trees. The first fungus causes drying of twigs, flowers, ovaries. The second provokes rotting of the fruit. Most often, rot is found in places where the codling moth is introduced into the fruit. On the rotting fragment, grayish dots are clearly visible, arranged in circles. They are arguing. Infected apples turn black, mummify, but do not fall off, remaining on the tree until spring.
Control measures consist in the treatment of apple trees from diseases and pests that contribute to the penetration of fungal spores into fruits. In autumn, you need to spray the trees with copper sulfate (1%). It destroys parasites that have prepared for wintering. A good result is whitewashing the trunks. Also, the tree can be sprayed at the time of flowering.
Bacterial cancer
This apple disease is caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae van Hall. External signs resemble an ordinary burn. On a diseased tree, buds and bark of branches turn brown, young shoots and leaves turn black. The infected bark swells. Blisters (barrels) appear on the branches. They may have spots with a cherry border. The wood begins to rot, exhaling the smell of fermented apple juice. The tree is usuallydies.
This disease has a chronic form, in which ulcers form on the branches, oozing gum. It collects millions of bacteria, which are transferred to other trees with the help of insects and wind. Microbes are also found in wood cells. Therefore, they can also spread with the help of tools, for example, secateurs. To prevent this from happening, the instrument must be disinfected with alcohol or formaldehyde.
Bacterial burn
This disease is caused by the bacterium Eewinia amylovora. External signs are in many ways similar to bacterial cancer, but there are differences. When tank. burn on the leaf blade, necrotic spots of red-brown color appear, which spread to the entire leaf. Young shoots darken (as if burnt), bend and dry out. The same is observed with inflorescences and ovaries. Cracks appear on the branches and bark, from which a whitish-yellow gum oozes. Over time, it darkens and hardens. Microbes are carried by insects, birds, wind.
Treatment of bacterial diseases
Bacteria live in the vascular system of an apple tree, so saving a diseased tree is very difficult. Treatment of apple trees from diseases caused by bacteria should be carried out 6 to 8 times with a break of 1 week. You can try to fight for an apple tree using the usual human antibiotics Tetracycline, Ampicillin, Streptomycin. They need to be diluted in water (10 tablets per bucket) and sprayed on the tree on the leaves and bark once every two weeks, alternatingantibiotics with the drug "Skor" or "Acrobat". After the end of the treatment, it is necessary to populate the tree with he althy bacteria, for which the leaves need to be sprayed with "Fitosporin" or its analogue.
Noncommunicable diseases
These ailments are not dangerous in themselves, but they weaken the tree, reduce its resistance to more serious ailments, and reduce yields. Apple trees can infect such diseases:
Chlorosis. Manifested by lightening of the leaf blade between the veins. It is caused by a lack of nutrients. Also, chlorosis can be an indicator that there are problems with the roots of the apple tree (rotting, drying out, damage by insects or small rodents, such as moles)
Control measures. Few people dig an apple tree out of the ground, especially an elderly one, in order to examine the state of its root system. More often, gardeners systematize the application of top dressing. If after that the leaves continue to remain light, you need to try to treat the roots by watering the apple tree with copper-containing preparations, a solution of potassium permanganate (bright raspberry).
Lichens and mosses. These plants settle on the trunks and branches of apple trees, if there are favorable conditions for them (high humidity, low air access, plant weakness). By themselves, mosses and lichens do not kill an apple tree, but they retain moisture, which freezes in winter and causes cracking of the bark. They are also a favorable place for the development of all kinds of fungi and microbes
Control measures: lichens and mosses should be regularly removed with a brush or other tools that do not violate the integrity of the bark of the apple tree. autumnthe tree should be sprayed with iron sulphate.
Injuries on the bark and branches. These can occur due to trimming, strong winds. Some birds destroy the bark, for example, woodpeckers, as well as hares. All mechanical damage should be treated with copper sulfate (1%) and painted over with linseed oil or garden pitch
Insect pests and diseases of apple trees
These little creatures do a lot of damage to crops and the entire garden. Some insects gnaw only on leaves, others on wood, still others at the flowering stage climb into the ovary and feed on ripening fruits, and the fourth are omnivores. Parasitize on apple trees:
- Snails.
- Apple mite.
- Apple honeysuckle.
- Aphid.
- Pennitsa drooling.
- Cicada.
- Comma-shaped scale.
- Tree bug.
- Grass bug.
- Maybeetle (Khrushch).
- Silky beetle.
- Click beetles.
- Apple flower beetle.
- Kazarka.
- Alfalfa bevel.
- Weevils.
- Golden flea.
- Fruit mustache.
- Marble creaker.
- Nutweed smooth.
- Apple codling moth.
- Twilight moth.
- Humpback Corydalis.
- Leaflet.
As you can see, the list is extensive. It is possible to treat apple trees in the spring from diseases and insect pests by various means, which depends on the characteristics of the parasites. So, some lovers of apple leaves (snails, beetles) can be collected by hand.
Many gardeners practice folk methods, which consist in spraying the crown of an apple tree with infusions of tobacco, walnut leaves, and wormwood. It should be noted that such drugs only repel insects, but do not get rid of them.
Fight against aphids by spraying the affected areas with solutions of soap, kefir, vinegar.
Against the beetles, the larvae of which gnaw the roots, the following method is used: stepping back from the trunk of an apple tree by about 1 meter, they make holes in the ground with a sharp stick 60-80 cm deep. Ammonia is poured into them, the smell of which forces the larvae to move into another place.
Appropriate insecticides are used to kill or repel other insects. Drugs of choice: Karbofos, Fufanon, Kemifos, Aktellik, Intra-Vir, Iskra, Kinmiks. In stores that offer garden products, you can find a fairly wide range of such products.
Prevention
Treatment of apple trees from pests and diseases is very necessary. But the role of prevention in maintaining the garden in excellent condition is difficult to overestimate. It consists in the proper care of apple trees, which includes:
- Selection of disease resistant varieties.
- Inspection of seedlings for damage to roots, branches or bark. Seedlings with leaves almost do not take root, so it is better not to buy them.
- Planting in compliance with all the requirements of agricultural technology.
- Timely top dressing of apple trees.
- Spring pruning.
- Whitewashing trunks with a solution of slaked lime (2 kg per bucket of water) with copper-containing preparations (copper sulfatetake 300 g). Its color should be light blue. You can add a little bit of wallpaper glue to the mixture so that it stays on the tree longer. Carry out the procedure in spring and autumn.
- Cleaning up all fallen leaves and fruits left on the tree.
- Weeding (weeds often harbor parasitic microorganisms and insects).
- Timely treatment of mechanical damage to the bark.
- Spraying with fungicides and/or insecticides. Bordeaux mixture gives a good result. It must be applied in the spring, until the buds begin to open, and in the fall after leaf fall. If you use this drug in the summer, its concentration should be made weak (1%) so as not to burn the leaves.
When choosing how to treat apple trees from diseases and pests, it is necessary to be guided by the scale of infection (one branch or the entire tree), the type of parasite that caused the disease, the vegetation stage during which the tree will be sprayed. By following these rules, you can protect your apple trees.
