How to Treat Soilborne Diseases of Peach Trees? A Detailed Guide to Scientific Control Methods
The peach tree is a plant that both bears delicious fruit and offers beautiful flowers to enjoy. It is grown in many regions of our country, and there are many varieties, but it is prone to diseases during growth. So how do you treat soilborne diseases of peach trees?
1. Growth habits of the peach tree
The peach tree is a deciduous small tree in the Rosaceae family, genus Prunus. It generally blooms in early spring, and the fruit ripening period varies by variety, usually from August to September.
The main economic cultivation areas are the provinces of North China and East China, such as Haidian District and Pinggu County in Beijing, Jixian County in Tianjin, Mengyin, Feicheng, Yidu and Qingdao in Shandong, and Shangshui and Kaifeng in Henan.
A peach orchard must not be planted continuously, otherwise young trees will grow noticeably weak, leaves will lose their green color, new roots will turn brown and branch excessively, and gum will flow from the branches and trunk.
The main reason is that the residual roots of the previous crop decompose in the soil and produce toxic substances such as benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid, which inhibit and poison the root system; it is also related to the multiplication and accumulation of nematodes in the soil under continuous cropping.
2. How to treat soilborne diseases of peach trees?
Soilborne diseases of peach trees include peach crown gall and peach root-knot nematode disease, and the control methods differ for each soilborne disease.
The control method for peach crown gall is: cultivate high-quality nursery stock, and carry out nursery stock disinfection and gall treatment.
For nursery stock disinfection, soak the roots in a 30-50 times dilution of K84 biological pesticide for 3-5 minutes, or in sodium hypochlorite solution for 3 minutes, or in 1% copper sulfate solution for 5 minutes, then place them in 2% lime solution for 2 minutes.
Gall treatment means digging out the root system near the main trunk, scraping off the root galls, disinfecting with 0.2% mercuric chloride water, then coating the wounds with 5 times diluted limewater for protection; you can also replace the surrounding soil and apply more organic fertilizer to strengthen the tree vigor.
The control method for peach root-knot nematode disease is: choose disease-resistant rootstock, carry out high-temperature greenhouse sealing before planting, and apply chemicals for sterilization.
Generally, when the soil temperature reaches 55°C, the nematodes can be killed. For chemicals, a 5000 times dilution of 1.8% abamectin emulsifiable concentrate can be used; dig a ring-shaped ditch around the outer edge of the tree canopy and irrigate with the pesticide, then cover with plastic film.