Despite the relatively high immunity and rapid growth, radishes can be affected by a variety of diseases and pests. We will learn further in the article how to recognize them, how to prevent and cure them.
Radish pests
Juicy roots and radish leaves attract a large number of various pests - gnawing and sucking. The growing season for radishes is short - about a month, but in order to completely destroy the plantings, 2-3 days are enough for some insects.
Spring cabbage fly
This pest can significantly spoil radish productivity. The fly is especially active at the end of May, when bird cherry and lilac begin to bloom. Just at this time, gardeners start sowing radishes.
The cabbage fly has a longer body than ordinary flies - about 6.5 mm. It can be distinguished by a black stripe on the belly. Females lay their eggs in the soil. The hatched larvae damage the roots of the radish.
Signs of defeat:
- larvae gnaw passages in root crops;
- root crop larvae rise higher and damage the petioles;
- the leaves turn gray, curl and wither.
The fly itself does not harm the plants, they are eaten by its larvae. But it is necessary to fight precisely with the fly, while the larvae have not yet hatched.
How to fight:
- To scare away cabbage flies, a mixture of tobacco dust, crushed bay leaf and camphor is scattered over the beds. This is done 3-5 days after the shoots appear.
- Marigolds are planted around the radish beds. It also repels the pest of celery and parsley well.
- The beds are mulched with shavings or sawdust.
- If the larvae start attacking the plants, they use chemicals - Karate, Rovikurt and others. An insecticide with a wide spectrum of action - "Danadim Expert", is also recommended; it is used both for prevention and for the destruction of pests.
- A mixture of vinegar and ammonia helps to cope with the larvae - 5 ml per bucket of water.
- Deep plowing.
- Removing weeds that attract cabbage flies.
Cruciferous flea
Fleas look like small black beetles. Their solid bodies in the sun shine and are cast with metal. There are also blue and brown fleas. The length of the insect is 2-3 mm. In a short time, fleas are capable of ridding the entire tops of radish. Insects can jump, due to which they quickly move over long distances.
The pest hides in the topsoil. Flea eggs are laid on fallen leaves and plant debris. Having hatched, the larvae immediately begin to eat the roots. Pests are sucking insects, they gnaw leaves and roots of radishes.
The cruciferous flea does not like high humidity and heat - under such conditions, the activity of the insect decreases sharply.
Damage signs:
- leaves are dotted with microscopic holes;
- tissues die at the edges of the damaged areas.
Fleas do not spoil root crops, but they are carriers of diseases that infect other plants. The insect loves a dry environment, therefore it especially actively damages plants that are deficient in moisture.
How to fight:
- Regular watering.
- The device of traps. Between the rows there are thin boards that are lubricated with honey or glue. Fleas love to jump, which is why many of them stick to the adhesive backing.
- Flea beetles are scared away by scattering sifted ash mixed with dry tobacco leaves, ground pepper and dry mustard over the seedlings.
- So that the pest does not fall on the beds, they can be covered with a film.
- Every week, the beds are sprayed with infusion of dandelion, tomato or potato tops, diluted in vinegar. On a bucket of infusion - 30 ml of vinegar.
- In case of a massive invasion of fleas, the beds are treated with chemicals - Decis, Aktara, Lightning.
- Spraying with flea shampoo for animals.
- "Collecting" flea beetles by hand. A piece of cloth dipped in something sticky is tied to a stick. The resulting "flag" is driven along the tops, collecting insects.
Fleas love to eat young radish tops. If they attack young seedlings, they can destroy them in a matter of days.
The caterpillars of the belyanka butterfly
Whitefish is a harmless butterfly with white, less often yellow or beige wings, on which there are small black spots or stripes. In the people it is more often called cabbage. The length of the butterfly is 5-6 cm. Radishes are harmed by its caterpillars, which hatch at the end of June. The second generation appears in September. The green-yellow caterpillars can completely eat the tops in a few days.
Signs of defeat:
- corroded sheet plates;
- gnawed stems.
How to fight:
- Caterpillars can be assembled manually. They hide on the back of the leaves. Turning over the leaves, you can see the pests.
- It is not recommended to process radishes with chemical preparations - it has too short a ripening period. A sprayed vegetable can be dangerous to eat. But with severe lesions, Actellik and other drugs are used.
- Powder the soil with ash mixed with cinnamon, mustard, ginger or sage.
Babanukha
Small black-green beetles infect all cruciferous crops. People call these bugs "horseradish leaf beetle." The body length of the beetle is 3-4 mm. There is a babanukha all over Russia, with the exception of the Far East and Eastern Siberia. Beetles become active in early June.
Signs of defeat:
- The leaves are gnawed. The beetle literally scrapes off sheet tissue in layers.
- Leaves become thin, rusty, fade and deform.
How to fight:
- Timely weed removal.
- Early planting of radish.
- Compliance with crop rotation.
- Dusting the plantings with wood ash.
- In case of severe damage - spraying with Karbofos.
- Dusting the beds with ash and mustard.
- Spraying with a vinegar solution - 20 ml per bucket of water, infusion of tomato tops, chamomile or yarrow.
Frightened, beetles fall on their backs. If you spread the film on the ground, you can shake off the babanukh on it.
Cruciferous bug
This striped red-black insect is clearly visible on green foliage. The activity of bugs begins in April, when they come out of hibernation, and continues until the fall. Bedbugs are especially damaging to radishes in heat. Bed bugs suck the juices out of the plant.
Signs of defeat:
- on the leaves - mechanical damage;
- over time, the affected areas turn yellow and die off.
How to fight:
- Bedbugs are afraid of the smell of tansy. This plant is planted near the beds with radishes.
- Insects can be collected manually.
- Spraying the beds with infusions of chamomile or onion peels.
- Chemical processing - Actara, Belofos, etc.
Aphid
Aphids are an “omnivorous” insect that does not disdain any crops, including radishes. Insects 2 mm long green drink the sap of plants and infect them with various pathogens.
Aphid colonies are supported by ants. To remove aphids from the site, you must also destroy or expel the ants.
Signs of defeat:
- whole colonies of small insects settle on the leaves;
- leaves become sticky, misshapen, yellow.
How to fight:
- spraying with a solution of laundry or tar soap - 300 g is taken per bucket of water;
- planting along the beds of onions, garlic, herbs;
- spraying with infusions of needles, orange peels, mustard powder;
- treatment with Decis EC and other insecticides.
Half an hour after spraying the beds with a foamy soap solution, rinse the tops of the radish with water.
Slugs
Slugs are gastropods of grayish-beige color. They have no shells and are very gluttonous. Slugs eat both greens and root crops, in a short time they can completely destroy radish shoots. The body length of slugs can reach 10 cm.
Slugs cannot stand heat and dryness. During the day they hide, and at night they crawl out to the beds.
Signs of defeat:
- large holes in the leaves;
- through passages in root crops;
- sticky marks on the leaves.
It is extremely difficult to remove slugs, it is easier to prevent them from appearing on the site.
How to fight:
- cultivating row-spacings;
- weeding of beds;
- avoidance of excessive moisture;
- planting slug repellent plants - garlic or parsley;
- creation of obstruction lines - you can use gravel, needles, lime;
- processing the entire site with the Sludge preparation.
Cabbage moth
A small gray-brown butterfly does no harm to plants. The caterpillars eat the leaves. These gluttonous pests are first yellow, then light green, they first eat root crops, and then radish tops.
Insects winter in the soil, and wake up as soon as it warms up to +10 ° C. Pests do not reduce activity throughout the summer; they feed on crucifers until November. Caterpillars cause especially great harm to radishes in hot and dry weather.
Signs of defeat:
- gnawed passages in root crops;
- eaten leaves;
- roots rot, and leaves fade and dry out.
The cabbage moth butterfly is inconspicuous, it is difficult to notice it - it looks like a dry branch.
How to fight:
- It is recommended to start by spraying with lavender or citrus peel infusion;
- if it was not possible to scare away the caterpillars with infusions, resort to chemicals - they spray the beds with Ditox or other insecticides.
The cabbage moth can be fought with the same methods as the whitewash butterfly.
Rapeseed Blossom
The beetle is small - up to 2.7 mm in length, has a black body with a greenish sheen. For this feature, the beetle was nicknamed glitter. The beetle eats pollen, damaging the stigmas and stamens in the flowers, so it is attracted to flowering radishes.
The wormwort winters in the soil, appearing on the surface at a temperature of + 10 ... + 12 ° C. The beetle prefers rapeseed planting, but does not disdain radishes, as well as other cruciferous plants. Glitter can reduce the yield by 30-70%. The beetle develops the most activity from May to July.
Signs of defeat:
- flowers fade;
- showered pollen from flowers.
The beetle is not particularly dangerous for radish, since its flowering is completed even before the flower beetle emerges. But the rest of the cruciferous species should be protected from it.
How to fight:
- agrotechnical methods - weeding and deep loosening of the soil;
- spraying with chemicals - Karate, Fastak, etc .;
- distraction of the beetle - you can plant some rapeseed near the radish.
Folk remedies do not give any effect in the fight against the rape flower beetle.
Rapeseed sawfly
This orange-yellow insect with transparent wings reaches 7-8 mm in length. Refers to hymenoptera. On the edges of the wings - a black patterned border. The sawfly lives on the back of the leaves, which it feeds on. The pest almost completely, to the petioles, gnaws the leaves.
Signs of defeat:
- the edges of the sheet plates are gnawed;
- sawfly larvae are visible on the tops - dark green caterpillars;
- radish dries up and dies, not having time to form root crops.
Crop losses from a rapeseed sawfly can be as high as 95%.
How to fight:
- the seeds are soaked before planting for 10 minutes in Karate or Aktellika;
- dig up the soil in autumn to destroy the larvae wintering in the soil;
- plantings are sprayed with Bitoxibacillin - it scares off adult insects;
- sprayed with infusions of chamomile or tansy;
- they treat the beds with Fastak, Mospilan and other insecticides.
Cabbage moth
Moth is a nocturnal, brown-gray butterfly, reaching a length of 2 cm. This butterfly has very voracious caterpillars. They eat for 15 to 35 days and then hide in the soil to continue their development. The butterfly is not dangerous for radishes sown in early spring, it begins to show activity only in May.
Signs of defeat:
- gnawed petioles;
- through holes in the leaves.
How to fight:
- autumn digging;
- weed removal;
- butterflies are scared off with Bitoxibacillin or Dendrobacillin;
- if caterpillars appear, plantings are sprayed with Anometrin, Ambush or other insecticides of a similar effect.
Wireworms and Nutcrackers
Nutcrackers are small black beetles that eat only radish tops. These insects provoke the development of fungi and gray rot. The beetle larvae are wireworms and feed on roots. They live in the soil and are able to spoil the entire crop.
Signs of defeat:
- the leaves damaged by beetles have large holes;
- root crops gnawed by wireworms turn black and rot, and lose their taste.
How to fight:
- dusting with wood ash helps to drive out the nutcrackers;
- ash infusion is also effective against bugs (400 g per 10 l of water);
- wireworm lime can be boiled with onion husks (30 g per 5 liters of boiling water) - it is used for watering;
- if wireworms are actively attacking plantings, you can spray the beds with Bazudin.
For the prevention of wireworms, it is recommended to add onion peel to the rows when sowing radish - it will scare away the pest.
Radish diseases
Radishes do not have any specific diseases. This culture is affected by fungal, bacterial and viral infections common among all Cruciferous. Diseases are most often transmitted by insect pests.
White rust (leucorrhoea)
The disease is caused by a fungus that infects all cruciferous crops. Radish, horseradish, and turnip are especially often affected by whitewash. It is especially dangerous for young seedlings. The fungus develops actively at + 15 ° C, as well as in cool and rainy weather.
Symptoms
- light green spots on the leaves;
- leaf tissues thicken in the affected areas, then turn brown and die;
- pustules are formed on the wrong side, which, breaking through, release an oily coating;
- the stems are deformed;
- root crops are covered with growths;
- the radish often leaves in color, and without having time to give root crops, and then dries up and dies.
Control measures:
- spraying with copper preparations;
- treatment with biological fungicides - Folikur or others.
In the early stages of development, folk remedies are effective - spraying with soda, potassium permanganate, colloidal sulfur helps. To make the solutions better adhere to the leaves, liquid soap or soap shavings are added to them (3-5 ml / 10-15 g per bucket of solution). Spraying for prevention is carried out every week.
Kila
The disease affects root crops and can deprive gardeners of half the crop. The cause of the disease is waterlogging of the soil and high humidity. Keela affects only Cruciferous cultures.
The keela virus is extremely viable, it is able to remain active, being in soil, for five years.
Symptoms:
- growths appear on root crops;
- over time, the roots darken and rot;
- the stems turn yellow, dry and die.
Control measures:
- disinfection of soil with dry bleach - 200 g per 1 sq. m;
- watering with a solution of colloidal sulfur of 5%;
- crop rotation compliance.
In areas infected with keel, you can not plant crops susceptible to this disease for 8-10 years. If you plant legumes or nightshade crops there - potatoes or tomatoes, then the period can be reduced to 5 years.
Scab
Scab often affects radishes, turnips and rutabagas. The scab is caused by bacteria that remain viable in the soil. Especially often the disease develops on dry and poorly fertilized soils.
Symptoms
- root crops thicken, white spots appear on them - 1 mm in diameter;
- black holes with uneven edges appear on root crops;
- the accession of secondary infections causes softening of root crops.
Control measures:
- the alternation of planting radishes with crops that this pathogen does not affect;
- the use of fertilizers that acidify the soil;
- watering radishes should be in warm and dry weather.
Blackleg
Fungal disease caused by two pathogens.One is molds that live in the soil and affect the root collar and roots of plants. The second pathogen is more aggressive, it also affects the stems and leaves.
Symptoms
- mold fungi cause damage to the stem; it blackens and dries out;
- the second pathogen causes the appearance of black spots on the leaves - it completely destroys the plant in a matter of hours.
Control measures:
- disinfection of seeds by heating (+50 ° C);
- cleaning and destruction of infected plants;
- watering the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate - dissolve 2 g of potassium permanganate in 1 liter;
- Trichodermin treatment - this drug contains a fungus that inhibits the development of pathogens.
For preventive and therapeutic spraying, a solution of Trichodermin is used - 10 g of the drug are diluted in 10 liters of water. You can also soak seeds in it - 20 minutes is enough to disinfect them.
Vascular bacteriosis
The adult radish is striking - at the stage of formation of root crops. It occurs in high humidity, heat and mechanical damage. The disease is transmitted during rains and is also carried by insects.
Symptoms
- blackening of veins on the leaves;
- black spots spread around the veins;
- the leaves turn yellow and “crumble”;
- the stems are deformed;
- plant growth slows down.
Control measures:
- 10 days after emergence, seedlings are sprayed with Trichodermin;
- in the initial stages of the disease, treatment with Fitovlavin can help, in the later stages it is not possible to save the plants;
- preventive treatment with Albit is a systemic pesticide that protects vegetables from various phytopathogens;
- prevention of waterlogging of the soil.
Mosaic radish
The disease is caused by a virus that infects most horticultural crops. The virus is transmitted through seeds.
Symptoms
- lag in growth and development;
- deformation and fading of leaves;
- leaf plates are covered with yellow-green spots - their shape depends on the type of virus;
- the affected tissues, blackening, die off.
There are no effective remedies for the viral mosaic. Gardeners can only suspend the development of the disease by removing affected specimens from the sites.
Control measures:
- using healthy seed material;
- seed treatment with Horus, Topaz, etc .;
- the use of insecticides to prevent the transmission of the disease by weevils, aphids, ticks;
- strengthening the immune system by making additional fertilizing.
Gray rot
The disease causes a fungus. The development of gray rot contributes to increased humidity in combination with cold weather. It is impossible to consume fruits affected by this disease.
Symptoms
- root crops are covered with brown spots, on top with a gray-gray bloom with black blotches;
- roots become soft and rot;
- petioles become watery and leaves fade.
Control measures:
- dusting with wood ash, powdered activated carbon or colloidal sulfur;
- spraying with a solution of mustard powder or iodine - take 50 g and 10 drops per bucket of water, respectively;
- spraying with Bordeaux liquid;
- making potassium dressings;
- once a week, watered with a solution of potassium permanganate;
- planting near the beds of marigolds, nasturtium or calendula;
- in case of mass infection, Horus, Gamair are used, but even their use does not always lead to a cure.
Powdery mildew
The disease causes a virus that affects all garden crops. Its development is facilitated by high humidity, heat and temperature drops. The fungus is carried by the wind, raindrops, insects.
Symptoms
- a powdery whitish or gray coating that resembles flour;
- brown spots with black dots appear on the leaves;
- the affected tissues die, through holes arise;
- deformation of sheet plates.
Control measures:
- for prophylactic purposes, seedlings are sprayed with infusions of ash or colloidal sulfur, yogurt, decoction of horsetail roots;
- treatment with a solution of copper sulfate;
- spraying with copper-containing fungicides - Skor, Quadris, Fundazim and others.
Downy mildew (peronosporosis)
The disease is caused by a fungus. Temperature changes contribute to its spread. Peronosporosis develops very quickly and can destroy all plantings in a few days.
Symptoms
- small yellow spots appear on the leaves;
- the spots grow, and the leaves curl and dry;
- from the inside out, the sheets are tightened by a felt bloom of a gray-purple hue.
Control measures:
- for prevention, radishes are sprayed with a solution of boric acid - 15 g per 10 liters of water;
- Rizoplan and Pseudobacterin also help prevent peronosporosis;
- spray the planting with an infusion of arrows of onions or garlic;
- soaking seeds in Bud, potassium humate or Photosporin-M;
- use drugs used in the fight against powdery mildew;
- affected plants are sprayed with Fitosporin-M.
Prevention methods
To protect radishes from diseases and pests, a number of preventive measures are taken in advance. Most of them are universal and can prevent a wide variety of problems.
Preventive measures:
- Digging the soil. Sand application to create a loose structure. Adding dolomite flour or slaked lime with high acidity.
- Sorting and rejecting seeds. Disinfection before planting.
- Plant care - timely watering and feeding.
- Timely preventive spraying. It is recommended to use safe folk remedies.
- Destroying diseased plants and harvesting weeds.
- Regular dusting with wood ash.
Diseases and pests of radish are most often associated with improper care or the use of low-quality seeds. Although radish is unpretentious, it is impossible to neglect the rules of agricultural technology - this can lead to the loss of the entire crop.
Author of the publication
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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