What to Do When Tomatoes Get Buckeye Rot? Detailed Explanation of the Latest Control Measures
Tomatoes are highly prone to buckeye rot during cultivation; on the underside of the leaves it is called brown rot disease. It mainly occurs during rainy weather and hot seasons, and once it strikes it causes tremendous damage. So how should tomato buckeye rot be controlled? Follow along with the editor to find out.
1. Symptoms
Buckeye rot mainly affects unripe fruit. It first appears at the blossom end or shoulder of the fruit as smooth, light brown patches, sometimes with a little white mold, or gradually turning into concentric ring-patterned spots and then dark brown, while the flesh beneath the skin also turns brown. When humidity is high, white mold-like growth also appears on the diseased area. The diseased fruit still keeps its original shape, does not soften, and drops off very easily. When leaves are infected, large water-soaked chlorotic spots grow on them and gradually rot, sometimes showing concentric rings.
2. Disease Cycle
The pathogen first overwinters on the ground with plant debris as oospores or chlamydospores. The following year it is splashed by rain onto fruit near the ground. After germination the pathogen produces germ tubes that gradually penetrate the fruit skin and cause disease. The mycelium in the diseased area then produces sporangia and zoospores, which spread through rainwater and irrigation water to cause secondary infection. By late autumn, spores have already formed to overwinter. It can develop between 8-38 degrees, and develops best at 30 degrees and humidity above 95%, so the disease is more severe in hot, rainy summers or in low-lying land and clay soil.
3. Control Methods
Because this disease spreads quickly and occurs during the rainy season, comprehensive control measures focused on prevention should be adopted. You can choose plots where solanaceous vegetables have been grown for three years, with high terrain and good drainage. Before transplanting, prepare the soil carefully by making deep furrows, hilling soil high, and reducing soil moisture content. During cultivation, prune and remove side shoots in time, remove old leaves and inner leaves, and increase air movement between plants. Using plastic film mulch cultivation can prevent the pathogen from splashing onto plants or fruit through irrigation water. When disease occurs, spray with fosetyl-aluminum, metalaxyl-mancozeb, metalaxyl-mancozeb, fosetyl-mancozeb, metalaxyl-copper, and other chemicals for control, focusing on protecting the fruit clusters while also covering the ground appropriately. If it rains within 1 hour after spraying, respray.
The above is an introduction to control measures for tomato buckeye rot. We hope it helps you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.