What are the common pests and diseases of gloxinia?

The main disease of gloxinia is stem-rot nematode disease, caused by nematode infection. It damages young stems, young plants, the stem portion at the soil surface and the base of the leaf stalks, appearing as water-soaked softening and rot. The diseased area gradually extends upward, spreading from the leaf base to the leaf blade; affected leaves shrivel, turn brown and die. In mature plants, damage starts at the leaf stalk and gradually spreads, without softening. The control methods are: sterilise both the seedbed soil and the flower pots with steam or chloropicrin and the like; soak the tubers in 60°C warm water for 5 minutes or disinfect them with Uspulum; pull out affected plants and burn them or bury them deep.

3. Gloxinia gray mold

Gray mold is a major disease of gloxinia, and leaves, leaf stalks and petals can all be affected. On flower stalks it appears as brown soft rot, and brown lesions often develop from the edges, with concentric wrinkled rings on the surface, and can spread to the whole leaf. In humid conditions a gray mold layer forms, later turning yellow. In severe cases whole leaves, whole flowers and whole branches turn brown and die.

Solution: during the disease period, use 80% zineb 500-fold solution, or 1% Bordeaux mixture, or 75% chlorothalonil 500-fold solution, spraying once every 10 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays.

4. Gloxinia late blight

Late blight can occur on the leaves, tubers and roots of gloxinia. After the leaves are infected they become dark brown, water-soaked and softened; when it spreads to the leaf stalk it causes the leaf to rot, with water-soaked narrow sunken spots. The lesions often expand and merge into large spots or long strip-like large spots, and sometimes the disease starts on the stem and spreads to the leaf stalk, causing the leaf to topple over.

Solution: at the early stage of the disease, spray 72.2% Previcur AS 600-fold solution, or 72% Curzate wettable powder 600-fold solution, 60% Mieke (flumorph. mancozeb) wettable powder 1000-fold solution, or 25% metalaxyl wettable powder 500-fold solution.

5. Thrips

Thrips are a common pest of gloxinia, mainly damaging leaves and flowers, causing leaf deformity, yellow spots and stunted growth of the plant.

Solution: usually pay attention to promptly removing the host plants of thrips, such as weeds, and spray chlorpyrifos, Qixingbao emulsifiable concentrate, bisultap aqueous solution, Fengleiji and the like for control.

Control methods for gloxinia pests and diseases

Common pests and diseases of gloxinia include leaf-rot nematode, rot disease, inchworm and red spider mite. Below we take a specific look at the control methods for gloxinia pests and diseases.

The common leaf-rot nematode disease of gloxinia is very damaging. Besides promptly pulling out diseased plants and burning them, the pots, tubers and soil all need to be disinfected. Damping-off is prone to occur at the seedling stage, so pay attention to disinfecting the soil for sowing and transplanting. During the growing period, inchworms often bite the young buds; they can be caught by hand or controlled by applying carbofuran to the pots.

Control methods for gloxinia pests and diseases 1. Leaf-rot nematode

The main disease is leaf-rot nematode disease, caused by nematode infection. It damages young stems, young plants, the stem portion at the soil surface and the base of the leaf stalks, appearing as water-soaked softening and rot. The diseased area gradually extends upward, spreading from the leaf base to the leaf blade; affected leaves shrivel, turn brown and die. In mature plants, damage starts at the leaf stalk and gradually spreads, without softening.

Control methods for gloxinia leaf-rot nematode:

(1) Sterilise the seedbed soil and flower pots with steam or chloropicrin and the like.

(2) Soak the tubers in 60°C warm water for 5 minutes or disinfect them with Uspulum.

(3) Pull out affected plants and burn them or bury them deep.

Control methods for gloxinia pests and diseases 2. Gloxinia rot disease

Rot disease mainly damages the leaves, stems and young plants of gloxinia, producing water-soaked dark brown necrotic spots on the leaves, with concentric rings visible in the spots, and in severe cases the upper stem becomes distorted and stunted. In mature plants, large black sunken lesions form on the stem near the ground and crack open; the small black dots on the lesions are arranged in concentric rings, with white mycelium at the edges.

Control methods for gloxinia rot disease:

Before planting, spray the ground surface with 3 parts formaldehyde mixed with 1 part water and cover with plastic film, or mix 7 parts 70% dexon powder with 3 parts fine soil and scatter it on the ground surface for disinfection. Usually pay attention to the cleanliness and hygiene of the flower field, promptly pull out diseased plants and burn them in a centralised way, and avoid splashing water onto the plants when watering.

In addition, the main pest of gloxinia is the inchworm, which eats the young buds of the plant during the growing period and can cause serious losses. It should be caught promptly or controlled by applying carbofuran to the potting soil. Under high temperature and dry conditions, red spider mites are prone to appear, and pesticides must be sprayed as soon as possible for control.

Caring for gloxinia requires care and patience from us so that it can grow healthily. We hope these control methods for gloxinia pests and diseases will be helpful to friends who like growing gloxinia. To learn more about gloxinia, please follow Huobao Agricultural Materials News.