Melon, like most other melons, is prone to damage by various diseases. The causes of the disease in melons can be fungi, viruses and bacteria. To save the crop, you need to be able to recognize the disease on time by the symptoms that appear and correctly diagnose it.
Melon diseases
Diseases of this type of melon crop can be both viral and bacterial. We will discuss them in more detail later in the article.
Powdery mildew
The main causes of the disease: powdery mildew.
A dangerous disease, most often annual, but there are also perennial mushrooms that remain in the soil after wintering. If untreated, mycelium spreads everywhere, destroying plants.
Powdery Mildew Symptoms:
- at the beginning of the disease, whitish small spots appear on the leaflets and stems with the manifestations of liquid drops;
- plaque begins to spread from the bottom to the top, while striking all the larger surfaces;
- at the advanced stage, the spots become brown in color, the leaves begin to curl and dry.
It spreads very quickly, so immediate treatment is required.
Disease Prevention:
- Perform crop rotation, that is, alternating planting crops seasonally in order to reduce the likelihood of diseases in the soil and weeds. It is best to plant melon in the soil where tomatoes, radishes or dill previously grew.
- In the soil after melon growth, in no case do not plant gourds, since there is a high risk of infection of new plantings.
- Perform timely weeding of beds, remove weeds and pests.
Treatment:
- Treat the plants with a sulfur solution - 100 g of colloidal sulfur are taken per 10 liters of water and melon leaves are sprayed with the resulting solution once a week.
- It is worth considering that the last processing of leaves before harvesting takes place in 25 days, but not later.
Downy mildew
The disease that appeared in the early stages of plant development can penetrate the vascular system, which leads to darkening of the leaves, and then to their decline.
Symptoms of downy mildew:
- yellow-green spots on the leaves of melon round or angular, sticky and greasy to the touch;
- if the humidity is high, then on the reverse side of the leaf spots are covered with a violet-gray layer of plaque.
If you do not fight the disease, spots spread over the entire area of the leaf, which leads to its death.
Disease Prevention:
- Carry out the rotation according to all the rules. Note that the fungus is able to live in the soil up to 6 years.
- Plow deeply the soil.
- Use the most melon-resistant melon varieties: Tag, Takada, K-5368, etc.
Treatment:
- To destroy the fungus, use the drug Oksikhom with a dosage of 20 g of the product per 10 liters of water or Topaz in the amount of one ampoule per 10 liters of water.
- Apply the finished solution to the foliage by fine spraying, both on the outside of the sheet and from the back.
- At the initial stage of the disease, when the presence of spots is local in nature, treat only the affected areas.
- One week before harvesting, stop processing plants.
Fusarium wilt
Causes of the disease: Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht fungi.
Bacterial fungi of this type are capable of long-term survival in the soil, penetration and clogging of plant tissues. The danger of the disease lies in the poor ability to diagnose in the early stages.
An infected plant weakens, because nutrients are poorly supplied to it, moreover, photosynthesis is disrupted. The favorable environment for the disease is poor lighting and air temperature around 28 ° C.
Symptoms of Fusarium wilt:
- leaves and stalks turn pale, gray spots appear, leaves fade, the plant dies in a week;
- the fruits lose their unique flavor, become not juicy, sugar content disappears.
Disease Prevention:
- Destroy diseased plants.
- Disinfect the soil with fungicides.
- Do moderate watering.
- Before wintering, weed the soil deeply.
- Treat the seeds with 40% formalin for about 5 minutes, and only then proceed with sowing.
- When buds form in a melon, treat the plant with a solution of potassium chloride.
- Sow melon seeds in high beds.
Treatment:
- Trichodermin for disinfecting the soil from fungal infection;
- Fundazole;
- Topsin M;
- Nitrate nitrogen is introduced into the soil to slow the spread of fungus.
Copper
Symptoms of copperfish:
- brown or pink spots of rounded shape, increasing with time and covering the entire sheet;
- in addition to spots on the leaves of the melon, holes are formed, as a result of which the sheets twist and dry;
- the stems of the plant become fragile, the shape of the fruit undergoes changes, with time, the processes of decay begin in the fruits.
Disease Prevention:
- Loosen the soil thoroughly after moderate watering to reduce the risk of copper picking. Usually the soil is loosened the day after watering
- Crop according to the rules.
Treatment:
- Pollinate plants with sulfur.
- Spray the plants with 1% Bordeaux fluid.
Root rot
Causes of the disease: soil fungi.
Symptoms of root rot:
- thickening and cracking of roots, the surface of which acquires a fibrous structure;
- leaves change color to yellow, wither.
Disease Prevention:
- Use seeds of healthy plants.
- Water the plants sparingly.
- Disinfect the soil.
- Weed and loosen the soil.
- Before planting, treat the seeds with a half-percent solution of potassium permanganate or zinc.
- Sprinkle the soil with ash.
- Burn the remains of uprooted bushes in place to prevent infected plants from accidentally getting into healthy ones.
Treatment: spray plants, use 0.1% with foundationazole.
Ascochitosis
Symptoms of ascochitosis:
- the presence of pale spots with multiple dots on the neck;
- the stems of the plant become brown;
- spots appear on the edges of the leaves of the seedlings;
- the basal part of the melon is affected, which leads to rapid death.
The disease spreads to both the leaves and the fruits. Low soil temperature and excessive moisture can provoke the disease.
Disease Prevention:
- Use disease-resistant melon varieties: Jaga, Mizuho nynymeron, Valeria, Ogen and others.
- Plow the soil.
- Cleanse the dead parts of plants.
- Disinfect soil.
- Use potassium-based fertilizers.
Treatment:
- For cultivating the soil, use Bordeaux.
- Remove diseased parts of the plant.
- Use the following drugs: cytovitis, fungicides, crystalline.
Gray rot
Low temperatures and excessive humidity can provoke the disease.
Symptoms of gray rot: light brown spots on the stem, which subsequently spread to the stalk and the fruit itself, covering it with dry gray fluff.
Disease Prevention:
- Do not forget about crop rotation, alternating the planting of the corresponding plants on the same soil.
- Use nitrogen top dressing.
Treatment: treat with Bordeaux liquid 1%.
White spotting
Symptoms of white spotting:
- first of all, light spots of a round shape with black dots appear on the leaves, then they darken, the leaves in these places are torn;
- spots gradually appear on the fruit, causing rot.
Disease Prevention:
- Consider all the nuances of a proper crop rotation.
- Plow deeply the soil.
- Treat seeds with granosan.
Treatment:
- Exterminate the remains of diseased plants.
- Treat with 1% Bordeaux fluid.
Cucumber mosaic
Causes of the disease: viruses Cummis virus 2, Solanum virus 1, Nicotina virus 1. Aphids, insects are spread, can be in the soil.
Symptoms of cucumber mosaic:
- the appearance of pale green stripes parallel to the veins on the melon leaf, due to this, over time, the leaf deforms;
- plant buds deteriorate, as a result of which the yield is reduced or the plant completely dies.
Prevention:
- Use seeds of exceptionally healthy plants, disinfecting by heating to 51 ° C for 72 hours, then increase the temperature to 80 ° C and warm for another 24 hours.
- Disinfect the soil with steam 100 ° C, the duration of the procedure is 120 minutes.
- Exterminate weeds with roots, because it is in them that the virus usually lives.
- Destroy aphids as it spreads the virus.
- If you find the first signs of the disease, sacrifice infected plants, destroying them.
- Plant melon varieties with increased resistance to the virus, for example, Ich-Kzyl 1895.
Treatment: spray the plant with a 3% pharmaiod solution.
Angular spotting
Causes of the disease: bacterium of the genus Pseudomonas syringae, class actinomycete. In addition, a temperature above 25 ° C and humidity have a beneficial effect on the development of the disease. Bacteria are carried by wind, insects and moisture.
Plant seeds or soil may be infected.
Symptoms of angular spotting:
- light gray spots of an oily nature form on the stems, leaves and fruits;
- over time, the fruits soften, the process of decay begins.
Disease Prevention:
- Plow the soil in autumn.
- Disinfect the seeds in a solution of manganese or hot water.
- Promptly remove the remains of infected plants from the beds, thereby preventing the spread of the disease.
- Give preference to bacteria resistant varieties (Eugene F1).
Treatment: spray plants with copper-containing preparations.
Melon Pests
Melon pests can be very different. In this article, you will learn how to deal with them.
Gnawing scoops
A biting scoop is an omnivorous butterfly, the diet of which includes more than 120 species of plants, including melon. Most harmful to plants are the caterpillar scoops that live at the top of the mail. They eat the inside of the stems, which inevitably leads to the drying of the plants and to their further death. The gray caterpillar is about 4 cm long.
Ways to combat pest:
- Perform regular loosening of the soil, destroying in case of contact with caterpillars and other pests, get rid of pupae and larvae.
- Lure the scoops of the scoops with a plastic bottle of jam, hanging them at a distance of 1 m from the ground.
- Use the following drugs to combat the scoop strictly according to the instructions: Volaton, Decis.
Wireworms
The wireworm is the larva of the nutcracker. Its body is light yellow. The larvae of this beetle live in the soil from 3 to 5 years, have three pairs of hard legs in the thoracic region.
During warming, they move to the upper layers of the soil, from where they easily attack plants, starting with seeds and ending with seedlings. Most of all they harm the root system of the plant, which in turn reduces the ability of the plant to eat and leads to the fact that the melon literally withers before our eyes. Due to this, the beds are thinning over time.
Ways to combat pest:
- The drug of low toxicity "Provotox" does not require frequent use, since after its use lasts a long exposure. It is not at all dangerous for people and animals. Place the granule of the preparation in the hole together with the seeds that are pre-treated, for example, with the Prestige preparation.
- Additionally, fight the wireworm, removing weeds, liming the soil, sprinkling soil with ash.
Spider mites
Small arthropods, whose length is less than 1 cm, are from the class of arachnids. Melon leaves are wrapped in a thin cobweb and feed on their juice, while leaving small spots on the stems and foliage.
After a bite of spider mites, the leaves begin to turn yellow and soon fall off. They breed at high speed, for this they may need from two to five days.
Ways to combat pest:
- Initially, to process the leaves of the plant, use a soap solution from laundry soap or dishwashing detergent.
- Treat the melon seeds with bleach, and only then sow.
- Use the drug "Bi-58" to spray the plants at the stage of appearance of leaves.
- To destroy small tick mites, buy Fitoverm and Aktofit preparations. These are high quality drugs, they need to be used several times a season.
- Place a can of turpentine next to infected plants to avoid excessive spraying.
- As a preventive measure, use harmless spraying with garlic water. To prepare it, take 400 g of crushed garlic, pour it in 2 l of water, let it brew for 24 hours. A highly concentrated solution is diluted with water: 6 g of concentrate per 1 l of water.
Gourd aphids
It has an oval-shaped body, the length of which is less than 2 cm. There are aphid species of yellow and green colors, with and without wings. Representatives of wingless aphids have the greatest harm to the melon.
The danger of aphids lies in a parallel course with other diseases. The active carriers of melons and gourds are ants, carried by the wind or from purchased plants. Aphids breed on the bottom of the leaf.
Attacking plants, aphids eats literally all parts of the plant - stems, leaves, buds, flowers, which entails serious consequences for the melon.
Ways to combat pest:
- Clear the garden or field before wintering.
- Use a 0.1% supplement of superphosphate or a 0.5% potassium chloride solution.
- Plant varieties that are pest resistant.
- Weed in a timely manner.
Melon fly
An insect with two wings of the family of variegated wings, the body length of yellow is up to 6.5 cm. Melon fly is one of the main enemies of melon, capable of destroying half of the entire crop.
The insect makes a hole in the skin of the fetus and lays eggs directly in the pulp of the fetus. Then, the formed larvae harm the fetus of the plant, it begins to rot and emit a fetid odor. Melon becomes unusable.
The first evidence that melon fruit is affected by this insect is the appearance of tubercles on the skin of the fetus.
Ways of struggle: cultivate a land plot with melons with Rapira or Zenith mortar.
Broomrape
A plant is a parasite that grows with the plant through its roots and feeds on its juice. This weed produces a large number of seeds, thanks to which it multiplies.
Broomrape specializes in certain plant species. So gourd broomrape infects tomatoes, white cabbage, eggplant and many other vegetables besides melon. This fact should be taken into account during crop rotation.
Ways to combat pest:
- Perform competent crop rotation.
- Plow deeply the earth.
- Timely clean the site of weeds, not allowing them to grow.
- Keep the area clean and tidy.
- Run the phytomysis fly on the site during the flowering of broomrape. The fly will lay eggs in weed flowers, which will result in the inevitable death of the seeds of the plant.
Watch the video about how the parasite plant "Broomrape" looks like:
General recommendations
For a good harvest, follow these guidelines:
- To keep the crop intact and protect the plants from mass infection, it is necessary to constantly monitor the land, perform quality weeding, monitor the moderation of irrigation, apply fertilizers of a certain group.
- As a prevention of harmless to human health, use onion husk infusion, for the preparation of which observe the following proportions - 100 g of husk is infused in 10 liters of water. For the preparation of preventive and harmless broths, such plants as dandelion, celandine, calendula, wormwood are suitable.
- Before sowing, treat the seeds with special means, this will allow them to be disinfected, plants will grow and develop faster.
- In the summer, do not forget about the scoop, for its capture, set traps on the land with melons. Treat with insecticides when true leaves and shoots appear at least twice a year.
- As you know, strong immunity is the key to health. This expression applies not only to humans, but also to plants. This means that for planting melons it is worth choosing disease-resistant varieties. This advice is especially relevant if in your area there have been cases of melon infection in recent years, since even with deep plowing, there is a possibility of the preservation of fungi and bacteria in the soil.
- Be sure to fertilize the plants, this will provide not only fast growth, but also allow the melon to withstand bacteria and viruses. As fertilizers, superphosphates, ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride are used. Top dressing is carried out during the appearance of the first leaves, then it is repeated after two weeks.
- If you infect plants with viruses, bacteria or fungi, immediately start treatment procedures. To prevent the spread of the disease, neutralize the site of inflammation by destroying a diseased plant and neutralizing the soil. When the rot appears among the already harvested fruits, remove the spoiled fruits, dry the healthy ones. So prevent the occurrence of a secondary infection among the fruits and its spread.
Monitor the condition of melons in time to identify its diseases and pests. Our recommendations will help you deal with them quickly and easily. Also do not forget to carry out preventive measures.