How to Treat Lotus Diseases? A Detailed Guide to Prevention and Control Methods

The lotus is a very beautiful ornamental flower, bringing a distinctive charm to the scorching summer days, and it is grown in many places. So how do you treat lotus diseases?

1. Rot Disease

It begins to appear in early May, with dark brown spots initially forming on the leaves and gradually expanding afterward, causing rot, which then spreads to the leaf stalks, underground runners and the lotus root itself. To prevent this disease, you must first keep the water clean, and remove diseased leaves immediately upon discovery; in the early stages of the disease, spray with 800-times thiophanate-methyl or a 600-times solution of 65% zineb.

2. Leaf Blight

This disease harms the leaves, first producing dark brown lesions on the leaf surface, and in severe cases the entire upright leaves turn black and wither. Low temperatures and high humidity favor the growth of the pathogen. If diseased plants are found, all diseased leaves should be burned and the area disinfected with lime.

3. Large Bagworm

The large bagworm, commonly known as the bagworm, is an omnivorous pest that damages plants in its larval stage. It begins hatching in early June, crawls onto the branches and leaves of other plants, spins silk and hangs down, drifts with the wind onto lotus leaves, spins silk to make a bag to protect itself, and chews up leaf fragments to attach to the outside of the bag. It then crawls about carrying the bag, extending its head to bite and feed on lotus leaves and bud stalks. When the infestation is severe, 20-30 of them can hang on the underside of a single lotus leaf, biting the leaf into a mass of holes, or even eating it bare. When there are few, they can be caught by hand; when there are many, spray a mixture of 1500-2000-times 90% trichlorfon solution and 800-times Bacillus thuringiensis solution.

4. Copper Green Chafer Beetle

The adults damage lotus leaves at night, overwinter as larvae, and have one generation per year. At night they can be trapped and killed with light, or sprayed with 1500-2000-times 90% trichlorfon solution.

5. Aphids

Aphids have extremely strong reproductive capacity, producing several generations in a single year. They often cluster on the curled leaves that have just emerged from the water, new leaves, upright leaf stalks and young tender flower buds, sucking the sap, and in severe cases can cause the young buds to wilt. They can be sprayed and killed with 3000-times 40% omethoate solution or 2500-times “4049” solution.

Although the lotus has very strong vitality and is relatively rarely troubled by pests and diseases, pest and disease prevention should still be a priority.