How to Treat Peach Tree Gumming? Explanation of Gumming Disease Prevention and Control Methods

Peach tree gumming may mean the fruit tree has peach tree gumming disease. After this disease appears, semi-transparent sticky soft gum oozes from the branches and trunk, and in severe cases it can cause the branches to die.How to treat peach tree gumming?

1. How to treat peach tree gumming

Scrape off the gum lumps, then apply Hushu Jiangjun or disinfect with 4-5 degrees Baume lime sulfur mixture; without scraping off the gum lumps, you can apply Bikang xinjunan acetate to the diseased scar and the surrounding 1 cm area, and apply it again after an interval of 7-10 days. Small branches can be removed by pruning.

2. Symptoms of peach tree gumming disease

Gumming disease caused by infectious pathogens occurs at the root crown, main trunk, branch forks and other parts. When the disease begins, swelling appears at the branch and trunk parts, then pale yellow transparent resin flows out, and the gumming is especially severe after rain. As time passes, the color of the jelly-like gum gradually turns pale reddish brown and brown.

If the weather is dry, the gum-like substance turns into tea-brown hard gum lumps in a crystalline form, adhering to the surface of the branches and trunk. Gumming caused by non-infectious factors is wound gumming caused by machinery, insect injury, sunscald and so on. It starts as white transparent gum, then the gum color gradually turns brownish red. Under suitable temperature and high humidity, the gum appears eruptive and accumulates on the wound surface. The main occurrence sites are mechanical injuries, insect injuries and artificial damage. The affected peach tree becomes weak in vigor, the leaves become smaller and yellow, and the diseased part is easily infected by saprophytic fungi, causing the wood to rot. Fruit gumming affects development and makes the fruit lose edible value.

3. Causes of peach tree gumming disease

1. Caused by damage from various pathogens. Damage from parasitic fungi and bacteria, such as dieback, rot disease, anthracnose, scab, bacterial shot hole disease and fungal shot hole disease, etc. These diseases damage branches, trunks and leaves, making the peach tree grow weakly and reducing resistance, making gumming disease very likely to occur.

2. Caused by damage from various pests. Wounds caused by aphids, scale insects, especially trunk-boring pests, easily induce gumming disease.

3. Caused by mechanical damage wounds as well as freezing injury, sunscald injury, etc. Excessive pruning during the growing period. Wounds caused by careless use of machinery, and wounds caused by natural disasters such as freezing injury, frost injury, hail and sunscald, all lead to weak tree growth and can induce gumming disease.

4. Caused by improper handling. Gumming is caused by poor transport in the plant resulting from the use of virus-carrying scions or the use of incompatible rootstocks.

5. Caused by improper orchard cultivation and management. For example, improper fertilization: little organic fertilizer is applied in the peach orchard, and heavy application of chemical fertilizers deteriorates the soil structure, causing a decline in the stress resistance of the peach tree; poor drainage: the orchard is low-lying with too much standing water or poor drainage, as well as inappropriate irrigation, etc.; excessive pruning during the growing period, excessive fruiting, heavy and highly acidic soil, etc., cause physiological imbalance in the tree, which easily leads to the occurrence of gumming disease.

For this disease, the main approach is integrated control. It is necessary both to strengthen tree vigor through management and to control pests and diseases, so that the disease can be effectively controlled.