What causes peach trees to turn yellow and die
Peach tree yellowing is the most common disease in peach cultivation. It not only affects the growth of peach trees but also has a major impact on peach yields. So what are the causes of peach tree yellowing? Let's take a look at the detailed explanation below.
1. Disease
Root diseases are an important factor causing peach tree yellowing. When peach trees suffer from crown gall, southern blight, root rot and other diseases, the roots' absorption of nutrients and water is blocked, leading to weakened tree vigor and, in severe cases, plant death. In addition, canker disease on the branches and trunk obstructs nutrient transport, causing partial yellowing. As winter freeze damage leads to root crown rot occurring from time to time, symptoms of weakened plants and yellowing also appear.
2. Nutrient deficiency
Iron deficiency and nitrogen deficiency in plants can both cause yellowing. Among these, yellowing caused by nitrogen deficiency is relatively rare, while there are many causes of iron deficiency in plants. When planting density is high, the land area occupied by each tree is small, root systems interweave with one another, and the iron ions in the soil cannot meet the roots' absorption needs. In addition, affected by soil pH, iron ions in neutral and slightly alkaline soils are fixed by hydroxide ions, forming insoluble ferric hydroxide that cannot be absorbed by the roots, resulting in iron deficiency in the plant.
3. Improper pruning
After fruit harvest, excessive pruning can lead to yellowing. Before the fruit is harvested, organic and inorganic nutrients are supplied to the fruit for its growth, and root growth is inhibited. After the fruit is harvested, the roots urgently need the leaves to provide organic nutrients. If pruning is too heavy at this time, many branches and leaves are lost, causing less nutrients to be synthesized through photosynthesis. As a result, the roots do not have sufficient nutrients for growth and cannot absorb more nutrients to feed back to the aboveground parts, causing yellowing.
4. Herbicide and fertilizer damage
Many fruit growers use improper pesticides when controlling pests and diseases, which causes pesticide damage to the plants and leads to yellowing. Most pesticide damage is related to herbicides, commonly including glyphosate and paraquat. In addition, when fertilizing, applying too much chemical fertilizer and too little organic fertilizer leads to soil compaction, serious loss of soil fertilizer and water, and low organic matter content, which affects the decomposition and release of soil nutrients and can also cause plant yellowing. Moreover, using the wrong type of fertilizer, such as applying field crop fertilizer to fruit trees, can also cause yellowing and withering. For example, applying potassium chloride to peach trees causes chloride ion poisoning in the root system.
The above is an introduction to the causes of yellowing and death in peach trees. We hope it helps you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.