The Latest Control Methods for Anthracnose in Water Spinach

When growing water spinach from seed, anthracnose is often encountered. This disease mainly damages the leaves and stems of water spinach, and when seedlings are affected it can cause seedling death, seriously affecting yield. So how should anthracnose in water spinach be controlled? Let's take a look together.

1. Symptoms of Damage

The pathogen of water spinach anthracnose overwinters as mycelium and conidia on diseased tissue. The pathogen spreads through rain splash, and after the initial infection it continues to produce conidia, which spread and infect again. It mainly damages the leaves and stems of water spinach. When seedlings are affected it can cause seedling death. After the disease develops, the lesions on the leaves are nearly round and dark brown, with faint concentric rings and densely covered with small black dots; the lesions enlarge and merge, causing the leaves to wither and yellow. The lesions on the stems are nearly oval and slightly sunken.

2. Causes of the Disease

There are many causes of anthracnose in water spinach. First, seeds carrying the pathogen, insufficiently decomposed fertilizer, and organic fertilizer containing the pathogen can all easily cause the disease. Planting too densely, poor air permeability, and excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer can also reduce the plant's disease resistance, making it prone to the disease. Planting in low-lying, waterlogged plots with poor drainage and damp soil also makes the disease very likely, and a high-temperature, high-humidity environment with insufficient light during cultivation also makes the disease very likely. The disease is prone to occur in early spring when it is warm and rainy, or in summer after continuous overcast and rainy days followed by sudden clearing when the temperature rises rapidly; in greenhouse cultivation, failing to ventilate and remove moisture in time in order to keep warm can also cause excessive humidity and bring on the disease.

3. Preventive Measures

To prevent this disease, it is best to rotate with non-cruciferous crops, and rice-upland crop rotation is the best; for cultivation it is recommended to use high ridges, choose fields with convenient irrigation and drainage, dig drainage ditches well, lower the groundwater level so that there is no standing water after rain, and additionally clear the ditches after heavy rain to reduce humidity; these are all important measures for disease prevention. When using fertilizer, do not use pathogen-carrying fertilizer; organic fertilizer must not contain diseased plant residues and must be fully decomposed before application. An appropriate increase in phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can improve disease resistance, and field management should be strengthened to grow strong seedlings.

4. Chemical Control

In the early stage of the disease, spray carbendazim at 800-1000 times dilution or thiram powder at 600-800 times dilution, once every 10 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays. Note that spraying must be stopped one week before harvest to avoid pesticide residues that could harm human health.

The above introduces the control methods for water spinach anthracnose. We hope it helps you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.