How to Treat Red Stele Disease in Plants? A Detailed Guide to Prevention and Control Methods

Plant red stele disease is also called red heart disease, brown heart disease, red heart root rot, etc. It is a major disease of strawberries, so how do you treat red stele disease in plants?

1. How to treat red stele disease in plants?

First, clear away the diseased plants, then pour a 500-fold dilution of 58% metalaxyl-mancozeb wettable powder, a 500-fold dilution of 64% Sandofan wettable powder, or similar solutions around the healthy plants for protection. The application interval is about 7 days, and generally 2-3 consecutive drenchings are enough.

The main symptoms of red stele disease are that the root system first turns brown or dark brown and rots from the tip or middle of the young roots, after which the stele turns red-brown and decays. In severe cases, the xylem and pith of the diseased roots become necrotic and brown, the entire root dries up, the aboveground leaves turn yellow or wilt, and finally the whole plant dies.

2. How to prevent and control other strawberry diseases?

1. Leaf spot

Leaf spot, also known as snake-eye spot, mainly damages leaves, petioles, fruit stalks, young stems and seeds. Small dark purple spots form on the leaves and, after expanding, become nearly round or oval lesions with purple-red-brown edges and gray-white centers, with slight concentric rings, making the whole lesion look like a snake eye. No small black granules form on the lesions.

The control method is: promptly remove diseased leaves and old leaves. In the early stage of the disease, use a 500-fold to 700-fold dilution of 70% chlorothalonil wettable powder, and spray again after ten days. Or use 70% mancozeb wettable powder, 200 grams per mu mixed with 75 kg of water for spraying.

2. Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew mainly damages leaves, and also infects flowers, fruits, fruit stalks and petioles. The leaves curl upward into a spoon shape. Affected flower buds and petals turn purple-red and cannot bloom or bloom fully, the fruit does not swell and becomes slender; young fruit loses its luster and hardens. If strawberries are affected near ripening, they lose their commercial value.

The control method is: on the central diseased plants and around them, focus on spraying 0.3-degree Baume lime sulfur mixture. After harvest, cut all leaves in the whole orchard and spray a 1000-fold dilution of 70% thiophanate-methyl, an 800-fold dilution of 50% Tuzet, a 5000-fold dilution of 30% triflumizole, or similar products.