How to Treat Diseases of Plum Trees? A Complete Guide to Prevention and Control Methods

Plum trees are widely cultivated in China and are a common fruit tree. Their fruit is plump and round, exquisite and translucent, beautiful in form, and sweet in taste, making it one of people's favorite fruits. So, how do you treat diseases of plum trees?

1. Red spot disease

Red spot disease and bacterial shot hole disease are the main diseases of plum trees. When these diseases occur, red and yellow round spots can be seen on the leaf surface, and the spots bulge slightly upward; in severe cases, they cause diseased leaves to fall early. The disease then gradually affects the fruit, and red and yellow round spots also appear on the fruit, seriously affecting the fruit's growth and, in severe cases, causing the fruit to drop. Plum red spot disease often occurs in rainy seasons, and it becomes more severe when there is a lot of rain.

Prevention and control: The main control measures include 2 types. One is chemical control: spray pesticide before the plum tree sprouts and after the leaves unfold, and when the plum blossoms, spray copper succinate solution for preventive protection, which will better protect the flowers from damage. The other is to thoroughly clean the orchard in time, bury fallen leaves and diseased fruit deep in the ground, or take the fallen leaves and diseased fruit outside the orchard and burn them, which can completely eliminate the pathogens.

2. Gummosis

It mainly harms the living branches of plum trees. After being affected, the bark of the plum branches bulges in a blister-like manner, and then soft, transparent gum gradually flows out. After the gum contacts the air, it turns reddish brown to tea brown, and after drying it becomes hard lumps. The cortex and xylem of the diseased part turn brown and necrotic, affecting tree vigor; in severe cases, some branches dry up and even the whole plant dies. This disease occurs throughout the year, and is especially common in hot and rainy seasons.

Prevention and control: Strengthen fertilizer and water management to promote strong tree vigor and improve the tree's disease resistance; in combination with pruning, cut off diseased and dead branches and burn them, and promptly carry out control of branch and trunk pests to reduce wounds; scrape off diseased spots, scrape off the diseased spots when raising the temperature in the shed, and apply systemic fungicides such as carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl to the wounds, then apply Bordeaux mixture externally for protection.

3. Bacterial shot hole disease

Bacterial shot hole disease usually occurs in orchards with relatively high humidity. It is most likely to occur when plants are dense, drainage is poor, and there is a lot of rain, because pathogens are more likely to infect under high-temperature and high-humidity environmental conditions. After infection, the leaves form round brown spots, and after the fruit is infected, water-soaked small spots appear. If not treated in time, the symptoms gradually expand, causing the fruit to drop early. Once this disease appears and is not controlled, it will lead to total crop failure.

Prevention and control: For bacterial shot hole disease, prevention is the main approach, which requires orchard management staff to strengthen orchard management. Fungicides such as carbendazim and Tuzet can be sprayed. When shot hole disease is severe, it can cause tree death, and ordinary fungicides have no effect; agricultural streptomycin can be sprayed for control, and if it still cannot be controlled, veterinary streptomycin can be sprayed for control.

During the cultivation of plum trees, it is necessary to observe the dynamics of disease outbreaks at any time and achieve prevention in advance.