How to prevent and control gray mold in zucchini? A detailed guide to integrated control methods

Zucchini is grown in Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei and other places, and is a type of pumpkin. It is also known as eggplant melon, bear (male) melon, white melon, small melon, foreign melon, horn melon, xun melon, etc. It originated in India and is grown in both southern and northern China. Zucchini has effects such as clearing heat and promoting urination, relieving restlessness and quenching thirst, moistening the lungs and stopping cough, and reducing swelling and dispersing masses.

Growing habits of zucchini The most suitable temperature during the growing period is 20-25°C; growth is slow below 15°C, and stops below 8°C. Above 30°C, growth is slow and disease is very likely to occur. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 25-30°C; seeds can germinate at 13°C, but very slowly; germination is fastest at 30-35°C, but this easily causes excessive vegetative growth. The flowering and fruiting period requires a relatively high temperature, generally best maintained at 22-25°C. Early-maturing varieties have a stronger tolerance to low temperatures. The minimum temperature for root growth is 6°C, and the minimum temperature for root hair formation is 12°C. When the night temperature is 8-10°C, fertilized fruits can develop normally. Light intensity requirements are moderate; it is relatively tolerant of weak light, but insufficient light easily causes excessive vegetative growth. In terms of photoperiod, it is a short-day plant; long-day conditions favor stem and leaf growth, while short-day conditions lead to an earlier fruiting period. Zucchini likes moisture and is not tolerant of drought, especially during the fruiting period, when the soil should remain moist to obtain high yield. Under high temperature and drought conditions, viral disease is likely to occur; however, high temperature and high humidity also easily cause powdery mildew. It has no strict requirements for soil; sandy soil, loam, and clay can all be used for cultivation, and deep loam soil easily achieves high yield. Zucchini gray mold is one of the main diseases of zucchini and seriously affects zucchini yield, so how should zucchini gray mold be controlled in an integrated way? In recent years, the area of zucchini cultivation in solar greenhouses has been relatively large, and the occurrence of zucchini gray mold often causes young fruits to rot, affecting yield and benefits. Therefore, measures should be taken for integrated control.

1. Grafting for disease prevention. Using Yunnan black-seeded pumpkin as the rootstock and zucchini as the scion for grafting can increase zucchini's ability to resist gray mold.

2. Vine-hanging cultivation. When zucchini has grown to 8 leaves, begin hanging the vines. Above each row of plants, stretch a wire in the north-south direction. According to the position of each zucchini plant, tie a nylon rope to the wire and hang it vertically to the root, then tie the end of the rope at the root of the zucchini so that the hanging rope and the stem vine intertwine with each other.

3. Chemical flower dipping. After zucchini blooms, when dipping flowers every morning, add 0.1% procymidone to 2,4-D, which can effectively control zucchini gray mold.

4. Chemical control. A 1500-2000 times solution of 50% procymidone wettable powder, or a 1000-1500 times solution of 50% iprodione wettable powder, a 400 times solution of 70% zineb wettable powder, or a 500 times solution of 50% carbendazim wettable powder can be used for spraying, once every 6-7 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays, with 45-60 kg of spray solution per mu each time.

5. Strengthen field management. Clean up diseased residues thoroughly, maintain field sanitation, prevent the spread of pathogens, and control temperature. Use under-film dark irrigation or drip irrigation for watering, and nighttime humidity should be less than 80%. When humidity is high, measures should be taken to reduce humidity. In the later stage of production, old leaves should be removed promptly to increase ventilation and light penetration, so that plants grow robustly and disease resistance is increased.