Detailed Guide to Identifying and Controlling Common Strawberry Diseases

Most people have probably eaten strawberries; they are very sweet and full of juice, and many people grow them. Because growing strawberries offers great economic benefits and their market price is relatively high among fruits, the income can be very substantial if they are grown well. But many fruit growers find that strawberries often get sick during cultivation, so what are the common diseases of strawberries? How should they be controlled? Let's take a look below!

1. Leaf spot

Disease characteristics: Leaf spot can occur on any organ of the strawberry plant. It mainly harms the leaves; after the leaves are infected, darker spots appear on the surface, and the spots gradually expand to form patches of varying sizes with darker edges. The middle of the patches is white, and many small black dots appear.

Control method: Promptly remove the affected parts, such as diseased leaves and diseased fruit, and take them away from the orchard for disposal. After the disease occurs, chlorothalonil wettable powder can be used for spraying control, once every 7-10 days.

2. Powdery mildew

Disease characteristics: The main affected part of powdery mildew is also the leaves, and it occasionally harms other organs of the plant. After the leaves are infected, a white mold layer appears, and the mold layer takes on the shape of a spoon. After flowers are infected, the disease occurs on the flower buds and petals, with a darker color, affecting flowering; in severe cases, the plant cannot bloom, the fruit develops poorly, expansion is hindered, fruit quality is reduced, and it loses commercial value.

Control method: Strengthen orchard management, and after the disease occurs, spray Bordeaux mixture and lime sulfur mixture around the plants. At harvest, cut off all the leaves, then spray the whole orchard with solutions such as thiophanate-methyl for control.

3. Gray mold

Disease characteristics: The peak period of gray mold is during the plant's flowering stage, and like leaf spot, it harms most organs of the plant. It mainly occurs on the fruit; after the fruit is infected, many brown spots appear, and the spots slowly expand and then join together to form a very large patch, causing the fruit to rot and soften, with rotten and fallen fruit, greatly affecting yield.

Control method: Carefully observe the plant's growth process, and before the flowering stage arrives, use carbendazim wettable powder and other agents for spraying prevention. Do a good job in orchard management, drain and irrigate in a timely manner, and enhance orchard ventilation.

4. Root rot

Disease characteristics: Root rot mainly occurs on the leaves. When the leaves are infected, it mainly starts from the lower part and then gradually spreads to the upper leaves, with the leaf edges darkening. After the leaves are infected, they slowly wilt and finally die. As the leaves wither, the plant also slowly changes color and eventually rots, affecting nutrient absorption and transport and causing great harm to plant growth.

Control method: When transplanting strawberries, spray asparagus green powder on the beds, then cover with an appropriate amount of soil before transplanting; this reduces or even eliminates pathogens in the soil, reducing pathogens and lowering the disease incidence.

The four diseases above are relatively common in strawberry cultivation and have a great impact on plant growth; not only do they reduce yield, but in severe cases they can lead to total crop loss. Therefore, when planting, we must pay attention to strengthening orchard management and promptly clear fallen leaves, fallen fruit, diseased leaves and diseased fruit out of the orchard. Prevent reinfection. That is all for today's introduction; this article is for reference only, and I hope it is helpful to everyone.