How to prevent and control root diseases? The key is to avoid waterlogging the roots when watering
To prevent and control root diseases, you should avoid waterlogging the roots when watering
(Agricultural Prosperity Network) Only with deep roots can the leaves flourish; without a good root system, it is difficult to achieve high yields. In production practice, many vegetable growers are able to recognize the important role of the root system. In recent years, root problems have become increasingly prominent, and dead plants caused by root diseases have shown an increasingly serious trend. However, when it comes to how to care for the root system and how to reduce the occurrence of root diseases, many vegetable growers are either unclear or only seek treatment after the disease appears, dealing with it haphazardly and failing to grasp the key points of disease prevention.
What is the most important thing in caring for the root system? In my opinion, the most important thing is watering. When it comes to watering, many vegetable growers think it is not worth mentioning: just water when it is dry. Too simple. What is there to talk about? But it is precisely this simple matter that few vegetable growers can do well. Even veteran growers with decades of experience often find it difficult to grasp the right amount of watering. Many vegetable growers water unreasonably and cause root waterlogging, which at best leads to weaker plant growth and lower yields, and at worst triggers serious root diseases, causing large-scale plant death and heavy losses.
Many vegetable growers have this feeling: after watering, root diseases occur especially severely. In fact, pathogenic bacteria in the soil have always existed and will not increase greatly just because of watering, so why do diseases occur more after watering? To use a simple analogy, it is not frightening when a person gets the flu; what is frightening is the complications. Likewise, it is not frightening when roots become waterlogged after watering; what is frightening is the root diseases caused by it. After watering, because oxygen in the soil is lacking, root activity weakens. Especially when more water is applied and the soil is rather clayey, causing root waterlogging, root resistance is greatly reduced, and pathogenic bacteria in the soil take the opportunity to infect the roots and cause disease. It can be said that without root waterlogging caused by watering, there would be no large-scale outbreaks of root diseases.
To prevent and control root diseases, start with reasonable watering, with the key being to avoid root waterlogging caused by watering. When watering, control the amount well, ensure that the water drains away and the soil dries, avoid standing water for more than half an hour, and ensure an adequate oxygen supply in the soil to maintain what the root system needs.
New irrigation methods such as drip irrigation slowly infiltrate the soil in the form of water droplets, with a small amount of water per unit time, causing little damage to soil structure, and the amount of watering can be controlled at will, so in theory root waterlogging should not occur. However, in areas where drip irrigation is used more, such as Qingzhou City in Shandong Province, I found that many problems arise during the use of drip irrigation. Drip irrigation generally does not cause standing water, but that does not mean it will not cause root waterlogging, still less does it mean the amount of watering can be increased at will. In Heguan Town, Dongxia Town, and other places in Qingzhou City, I encountered cases where drip irrigation used 40 to 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity to finish watering 1 mu of greenhouse, more water than is used for winter irrigation of wheat, resulting in severe root waterlogging of round eggplant, cucumber, and other crops in the greenhouse, with weak growth, low yields, and many dead plants.
In addition, applying more organic fertilizer, improving the soil, and enhancing soil permeability are also very important. This can ensure that even if a large amount of water is applied, root waterlogging will not occur due to lack of oxygen in the soil.
What is the most important thing in caring for the root system? In my opinion, the most important thing is watering. When it comes to watering, many vegetable growers think it is not worth mentioning: just water when it is dry. Too simple. What is there to talk about? But it is precisely this simple matter that few vegetable growers can do well. Even veteran growers with decades of experience often find it difficult to grasp the right amount of watering. Many vegetable growers water unreasonably and cause root waterlogging, which at best leads to weaker plant growth and lower yields, and at worst triggers serious root diseases, causing large-scale plant death and heavy losses.
Many vegetable growers have this feeling: after watering, root diseases occur especially severely. In fact, pathogenic bacteria in the soil have always existed and will not increase greatly just because of watering, so why do diseases occur more after watering? To use a simple analogy, it is not frightening when a person gets the flu; what is frightening is the complications. Likewise, it is not frightening when roots become waterlogged after watering; what is frightening is the root diseases caused by it. After watering, because oxygen in the soil is lacking, root activity weakens. Especially when more water is applied and the soil is rather clayey, causing root waterlogging, root resistance is greatly reduced, and pathogenic bacteria in the soil take the opportunity to infect the roots and cause disease. It can be said that without root waterlogging caused by watering, there would be no large-scale outbreaks of root diseases.
To prevent and control root diseases, start with reasonable watering, with the key being to avoid root waterlogging caused by watering. When watering, control the amount well, ensure that the water drains away and the soil dries, avoid standing water for more than half an hour, and ensure an adequate oxygen supply in the soil to maintain what the root system needs.
New irrigation methods such as drip irrigation slowly infiltrate the soil in the form of water droplets, with a small amount of water per unit time, causing little damage to soil structure, and the amount of watering can be controlled at will, so in theory root waterlogging should not occur. However, in areas where drip irrigation is used more, such as Qingzhou City in Shandong Province, I found that many problems arise during the use of drip irrigation. Drip irrigation generally does not cause standing water, but that does not mean it will not cause root waterlogging, still less does it mean the amount of watering can be increased at will. In Heguan Town, Dongxia Town, and other places in Qingzhou City, I encountered cases where drip irrigation used 40 to 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity to finish watering 1 mu of greenhouse, more water than is used for winter irrigation of wheat, resulting in severe root waterlogging of round eggplant, cucumber, and other crops in the greenhouse, with weak growth, low yields, and many dead plants.
In addition, applying more organic fertilizer, improving the soil, and enhancing soil permeability are also very important. This can ensure that even if a large amount of water is applied, root waterlogging will not occur due to lack of oxygen in the soil.