A Detailed Guide to the Latest Control Methods for Dragon Fruit Fusarium Wilt
Dragon fruit is a common fruit in our daily lives, and during cultivation, Fusarium wilt is a common suppressing disease in dragon fruit cultivation, causing the plant to gradually dry up and die, resulting in relatively large losses for fruit farmers. So what causes dragon fruit Fusarium wilt? And how should it be prevented and controlled? Let's find out together.
1. Symptoms of Fusarium Wilt
After dragon fruit develops Fusarium wilt, its stem segments lose water, fade from green to yellow, and wilt, then gradually dry up until the entire plant dies. If the environment is relatively humid, a pink mold layer will also appear on the diseased plant. The disease first appears on the branch nodes in the middle and upper parts of the plant. At first, the top of the stem node becomes diseased, with irregular grayish-white lesions appearing on the edges, which then gradually spread downward, forming sunken lesions and gradually drying up, finally forming gaps or holes.
2. Patterns of Onset
Dragon fruit Fusarium wilt is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. and the pathogen overwinters in diseased residues or soil. After temperatures rise in spring of the following year, it begins to become active, then spreads through rainwater, invading through wounds on the plant and causing disease. Rainy weather in early spring and early summer is favorable for the occurrence and spread of Fusarium wilt. If the orchard has low-lying areas with standing water, is shaded and humid, and has a large number of pests, all of these are favorable for the occurrence of Fusarium wilt.
3. Control Methods
After harvesting in autumn and winter, the orchard should be cleaned promptly, and diseased branches and diseased parts should be removed in time and taken out of the field to be burned or deeply buried, thereby reducing the pathogen. Implementing reasonable crop rotation can also reduce the occurrence of the disease. In addition, irrigation and drainage work in the orchard should be done well, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied, and timely topdressing should be carried out. As much as possible, choose thoroughly decomposed organic fertilizer or farmyard manure, and increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to improve the plant's disease resistance. Strengthen plant training, top the plants at the right time, and prevent lodging. When carrying out agricultural operations, do not injure the roots, so as not to create conditions for pathogen invasion. If disease occurs during the growing period, promptly pull out diseased plants, remove diseased stems and old stems, take them out of the field for deep burial, and spray the whole orchard with chemicals for propagation, or pour chemicals at the root and stem base during planting. The control effect is relatively good.
The above is an introduction to the control methods for dragon fruit Fusarium wilt. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.