Plant jaundice is easier to prevent than to cure, since chemical control measures are powerless here. How to recognize the enemy, you will learn from this material. In nature, there are viral and fungal infections that parasitize plants. One of them is jaundice, which can nullify all the gardener's work.
How to recognize a disease?
If the leaves become light or yellowish in color, too much starch accumulates in them, which makes them brittle and tougher, then the plant is affected by a disease called jaundice.
At the same time, there is a lack of chlorophyll, the plants lag far behind in growth and development, and the flowers acquire an ugly shape. The starch clogs the cells of the plant, and the outflow of nutrients is delayed.
This disease is caused by the Leptomotropus callistephi virus. It can infect many plant species - about two hundred, which belong to different families, to:
- Buckwheat;
- Gesneriev;
- Cruciferous;
- Lyutikov;
- Makov;
- Umbrella;
- Marev;
- Composite;
- Solanov.
The petals of a plant infected with this virus turn green, and parts of the flower can change their shape. And usually seeds are not formed on them.
The degree of flower deformation of the affected plant usually depends on the duration of the disease. The earlier a culture is infected, the more its organs change.
Disease from weed plants is transmitted by pests to healthy ones, and if they are weakened, favorable conditions reign, then they will soon fall ill with jaundice.
Over time, chlorosis affects new leaves, aerial parts, newly grown leaves can become almost white, and the main shoot is stunted. Sometimes necrotic spots appear on the stem tissues, and the affected areas die. They are trying to replace the second-order shoots that grow in the leaf axils, but they are thin and defective. When jaundice occurs, the leaves can change their direction and grow vertically.
How to deal with jaundice?
There are no effective drugs for the treatment of jaundice, so the fight against it consists in the destruction of plants affected by the virus. In this case, you need to remove the infected culture, even if it still looks good. After all, it can no longer be saved, but it will cause damage to others, even to plants of a different species. If this is a valuable specimen for you, then remove all its affected parts, feed with nitrogen fertilizers, spray with an immune preparation. But don't let it come in contact with other cultures.
An active fight against sucking insects will also help prevent jaundice. After all, they are one of the main carriers of the causative agents of the virus. Regular weeding and crop rotation will also help. Hygiene must be observed when working with such material. At the end of the work, you need to wash your hands well with laundry soap, and wipe the equipment with alcohol. If you propagate plants, take cuttings, root shoots only from completely healthy ones.
The manifestation of jaundice on some flowers
Aster jaundice on young plants begins with chlorosis of one leaf or lightening of veins. Gradually, chlorosis affects all new leaves, and then all green aerial parts. The petals are sharply deformed, turn green, the main shoot is delayed in growth. Cracks may form on the leaves, and cutouts on the edges. Sometimes the surface of the leaf becomes blistery.
Delphinium jaundice leads to the fact that the diseased specimen branches strongly, at the same time lagging behind in growth. The color of its leaves is lighter in comparison with healthy specimens. The flowers turn green, deform sharply, and can turn into simple leaves. The causative agent of jaundice is transmitted to delphinium through weeds: field thistle, plantain, dandelion and others.
Jaundice on phlox is manifested in deformation and greening of flowers. Plants are very stunted and bushy. The leaves are deformed, narrow and small, the internodes are shortened. Lateral shoots grow vigorously, but they are formed too thin. This phlox disease leads to proliferation and greening of flowers: stamens and petals turn into leaves.
In hyacinth affected by jaundice, the leaves turn light green. Peduncles stretch out, and the flower becomes loose with green petals. Its pistils and stamens are underdeveloped.
Jaundice on cineraria most often appears in greenhouses. It manifests itself in the formation of a large number of peduncles and shoots, in the greening of flowers, in the lightening of leaves. The column, together with the ovary, turns into sheets. A secondary basket is formed, on which green flowers are formed. The disease is spread by leafhoppers, and from autumn the jaundice virus hibernates on the remaining weeds.
If you carry out frequent weeding, dispose of infected weeds, remove plant debris, destroy insects that carry the virus, you can thus reduce the likelihood of jaundice on your plants. Washing your hands, disinfecting tools will also help prevent this unkempt disease from entering your backyard plot.
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