Grape anthracnose

It's no secret that many fungal diseases, such as grape anthracnose, can affect plants to a large extent. As a result, weaker bushes. And also the lack of abundant fruiting. If the fruit is present, it practically does not have any outstanding taste.

Fungi are very small in size. They cannot be seen with the naked eye. But at the same time, the effect of fungi is maximally negative. Today, new agents have appeared to combat fungi. And the situation has changed to a great extent. But, nevertheless, there is not a single variety that would be completely resistant to fungal diseases. And therefore, you need to know how to identify the fungus. And also how to deal with it and save the plant.

Anthracnose characteristics

The disease is caused by the corresponding fungus. It is very dangerous for the plant. Its danger lies in several significant aspects at once:

• so, in just one season, the fungus can give up to 30 generations. And this is an incredibly huge number of pathogenic bacteria. They can provoke the most dangerous diseases. And also lead to the death of the plant;
• the fungus can persist in the form of mycelium even after the gardener seems to have made all the control measures. In the environment, fungi can exist for the next 5 years;
• fungi can withstand frost and heat well. As well as sudden changes in temperature. They are tenacious in absolutely any region;
• leaves and shoots can be affected by fungi, and root system... And also, of course, the fruits themselves.

Grape anthracnose: conditions for the development of the disease

Experienced gardeners and wine growers in particular are very familiar with anthracnose. And also with its main features. Therefore, sometimes they can predict the conditions in which the fungus most often develops. And in this case, they can take some preventive measures to eliminate fungi.

So, if there is a drought, lack of rainfall, then the plant is safe from fungal diseases. But if the weather changes dramatically, prolonged rains begin, the heat changes with thunderstorms, then in this case the plant is at risk. And much more attention should be paid to it in the fight against possible fungal diseases.

As a rule, as soon as the general humidity and air humidity increase, the spores of the fungus begin to awaken. They become active and begin to spread very quickly throughout all parts of the plant.

How to progress the disease

The fungus doesn't take too long to fully develop. Just 3 or 4 days is enough. And after that it will be quite problematic to save the vines from the developed fungus. The fungus can develop over a wide range.

It can withstand low temperatures. And most abundantly spreads and multiplies at temperatures from 20 to 30 degrees. But, in any case, the fungus needs additional moisture. And only in such conditions can he fully open up.

If there is a dry and dry temperature, then the anthracnose fungus cannot develop. If long-term precipitation is observed, then this leads to the most serious damage to the vineyards. Whole plantations could die. And also hectares of planting.

There are several grape varieties that are most susceptible to anthracnose. Among them are Karaburn, Husayna, Isabella and Lydia.These are quite popular and demanded varieties. But gardeners are well aware that these varieties have a weak immunity to anthracnose. Therefore, they need additional treatments against the fungus. Because he provokes this disease.

Grape anthracnose

There are several signs at once by which one can understand that the plant was infected with anthracnose. Among the signs, first of all, external ones stand out. On the shoots, clear spots appear that have a brown or dirty brown color. Initially, the spots are oval. And then they merge, spread more strongly. They also capture all internodes.

The second sign is that the crust begins to crack. And fungi also begin to get into the cracks. The fungus eats away at the deeper layers of the plant. And if it goes too deep, then the plant will be even more difficult to restore.

Signs of the disease

Shoots that are affected by the fungus begin to break very quickly and dry out. They also take on a very painful appearance. In this case, longitudinal cracking of the shoot is one of the distinguishing features. It can be understood that the plant was affected by the anthracnose fungi. Similar signs can be observed not only on shoots. But also on the ridges. Therefore, it is necessary to inspect the entire plant completely.

Berries are also affected by anthracnose. Dark borders appear on them. And also the berries seem to be slightly depressed. In the center, the hue turns purple. And then the berry seems to be covered with a velvety bloom. From a distance, the spot is very much like a bird's eye. And that's why sometimes the disease is called just that. This is a sure sign that the infection has gone too far. And the plant needs additional measures to complete the spread of the fungus.

Berries that are affected by fungus tend to crack quickly. And then they rot very quickly. The spots are brown, the border is black. And also they often merge. All this looks like a dangerous disease. And so it is. When any of these signs appear, you must immediately respond to it. And take steps to treat the plant.

Anthracnose grapes: treatment

Experienced gardeners argue that anthracnose can and should be dealt with. And copper-containing preparations are very effective. They should be used regularly to spray the grape crop. And this will be just enough for the fungus to leave the vineyard once and for all.

But it is very important to carry out processing regularly. According to the schedule. Adhering to the instructions for use and use of the drug. When the gap between treatments widens and the weather conditions are not very favorable, the anthracnose population will begin to increase very rapidly. All the treatments that have been carried out before will be simply in vain.

Grape processing scheme

The first spraying is done when the growing season begins. When the length of the shoots increases, reaching about 5-7 centimeters, then the plant can already be treated with drugs. At this point, as a rule, treatment with a 1% solution of copper sulfate will be sufficient.

The second time the treatment is carried out just before the beginning of flowering. The drug Quadris is effective. But many gardeners tend to complain that this product is too expensive. And therefore they do not seek to acquire it. Although the effectiveness of Quadris has been proven by many experienced gardeners.

The plant is sprayed for the third time during the period of active growth of berries. A non-toxic drug Switch 62.5 is suitable for this. Dilute about 10 grams of the drug in a bucket of water. Mix all this very thoroughly so that a precipitate does not form.

How to process grapes?

If suddenly the gardener does not strive to treat the vineyards with chemicals, then biological agents can be used. Excellent drugs from this group are Mikosan-V. And also Gaupsin. As a rule, many European gardeners have almost completely abandoned chemicals. This confirms that biological products differ not only in efficiency. But also great security. And this is very important.

Experienced gardeners say that it is best not to use the same preparation throughout the growing season. Funds should be combined, do it in accordance with the schedule. Some products are addictive. And the fungi themselves, as a rule, cease to succumb so much to their influence. So these aspects should be taken into account in processing.

The change of drugs allows the colonies to not have time to adapt to the remedy. And so they become even more effective. This is what, as a rule, all gardeners strive for in the fight against fungal diseases on grape crops.

Grape anthracnose: prevention

Thus, today it is difficult to single out one single drug that will have a broad spectrum of action against anthracnose. As well as fungal diseases in general. Scientific research has progressed far ahead. But there is no perfect remedy. But new varieties of grapes appear, which are distinguished by a very strong immunity against such diseases.

But here a lot depends on the gardener himself. Stress resistance and immunity are developed if the gardener complies with all agrotechnical requirements for planting plants and crops. You cannot wait for the moment when the fungi show themselves - it is necessary to carry out preventive measures and treatments, then only the plant will be completely safe.

As soon as the gardener has identified the first signs of anthracnose, he must definitely take the first measures. Usually, for this, all affected parts of the vineyard are carefully cut and burned, and the vine is treated with fungicides or biological preparations against fungal diseases. If anthracnose has affected the bushes in the past, then the treatment should be done immediately with the beginning of the new flowering season. In particular, you should be careful about processing in rainy weather, since moisture is exactly the environment in which the fungus develops. Also, the vine crown should be thinned and pruned, as a disease may develop due to overgrowth.

Thus, in general, anthracnose and fungi can be effectively combated. There must be numerous preventive measures. The most important thing is to carry out timely preventive treatment of vineyards on a regular basis, and then it will be possible to completely get rid of fungi and prevent their return to the site. Only due to timeliness, you can get decent results in growing grapes that will not succumb to various viruses and diseases. Attention and care from the gardener is the most important part of the maintenance and preventive procedures, to which the grapes respond with abundant fruiting and high-quality berries.