Causes of rust on pine and methods of its treatment, prevention

The appearance of rust symptoms on pine is associated with infection by fungal microorganisms. The infected tree gradually dries out. At the same time, it infects other pines, fruit and ornamental crops located in the garden. The full development cycle of dangerous fungi takes 2-3 years. During this period, the garden may suffer greatly. This is why it is so important to pay attention to the treatment and prevention of rust.

Reasons for appearance

The cause of the development of pathology is considered to be various types of fungi. Common pathogens include the following:

1. The genus Cronartium ribicola causes the appearance of blister rust.Weymouth pine and Siberian cedar varieties are more susceptible to this disease. Sometimes European and mountain species of pines suffer from it. At the intermediate stage, the fungus infects gooseberries and currants. With the arrival of autumn, he moves to the pine tree. In this case, the needles suffer first, and then the branches and trunk are affected. The more the infection spreads, the higher the risk of tree death.
2. The genus Coleosporium causes pine needle rust. At intermediate stages, fungi settle on weeds - thistle, bluebell, coltsfoot. The pathogen causes damage to needles in the spring. By July, the spores fall off, and the pine remains dry and spotty.
3. The genus Melampsora pinitorqua causes rust on branches. This disease is also called pine spinner. Under the influence of pathogens, the shoots take an S-shape. The infection affects pine trees in late autumn. Intermediate hosts of pathogens include poplars and aspens. Affected pines rarely die, but they may develop into bushy plants.

The listed pathogens differ in the presence of intermediate hosts. Therefore, planting pine trees near them increases the likelihood of infection.

In addition, the risk of infection increases in the following situations:

1. Presence of weeds. Unwanted vegetation must be removed. It spreads rust and other diseases and attracts vermin.
2. Purchasing infected plants. Infection of pine can occur in the nursery. To avoid such problems, it is important to carefully inspect the crop before purchasing and pay attention to its processing after planting.
3. Neglect of spraying. To avoid the development of diseases, it is necessary to engage in their prevention. To do this, it is worth using fungicidal preparations.

How to identify an infestation

Despite the fact that rust has different types, they all have a common feature. The disease can be identified by orange spots on the needles and growths on pine branches. Blister rust mostly affects branches and trunks. Pine needle rust mainly spreads along the needles, and pine spinner causes deformation of the shoots.

The development of pathology leads to the fact that trees lose their attractiveness and become weak. In addition, the affected areas dry out and die. In this case, the main sign of rust is the formation of red, convex growths that affect branches and pine needles.

Danger to the tree

There are several types of rust, each of which poses a certain threat to plants:

1. Pine needle rust - infected needles dry out and turn yellow. They stop performing their functions and, as a result, fall off. If there are no needles on a pine branch, it does not produce new shoots and dies. Thus, rust can cause the loss of entire branches. In advanced cases, there is a risk of death of the entire tree.
2. Pine spinner - shoots affected by the disease begin to dry out from above. In this case, the lower branches remain alive, but take the shape of the letter S. Deformation of the pine makes the tree untidy. It becomes weaker and can hardly withstand loads. Pine spinner rarely causes the death of a tree, but causes serious harm to it.
3. Blistering rust. This disease is considered the most dangerous. First, it causes damage to the needles, and then spreads to the shoots and trunk. As a result, the fungus spreads throughout the tree and lives on it for many years.At the same time, stepped ulcers form in the affected areas - the trunk becomes covered with cracks, and resin flows from it. The bark becomes covered with clots and wounds, and with the arrival of spring, red growths with fungal spores appear on the tree. Above the affected area, the tree is completely destroyed. In this case, the branches must be cut off. When the fungus gets into the lower part of the trunk, the tree dies.

How to deal with it

If even small traces of rust are detected on plantings, you should immediately take action and begin treatment. Otherwise, there is a high probability of negative consequences. To cope with pathology, you need to do the following:

1. Completely remove affected areas.
2. Isolate primary and intermediate hosts from each other.
3. Plant pathology-resistant plants between plants.
4. Till the soil to destroy the spores.
5. Apply potassium and phosphorus fertilizers and microelements.
6. Monitor the use of nitrogen fertilizers.
7. Use chemicals according to instructions.

At the first signs of rust development, you need to use special products that have already proven their effectiveness. These drugs include the following:

1. Bordeaux liquid – the substance is used 2-3 times with an interval of 10 days. In this case, it is necessary to use a solution with a concentration of 0.5-1%.
2. "Rogor" - used at least three times.

When choosing a specific treatment agent, it is important to consider that fungi have developed resistance to many drugs. In particular, such popular products as “Topaz” and “Skor” are not used to treat rust today.

To obtain the required result, it is recommended to use new generation fungicides.At the same time, several modern antifungal agents can be used in the tank mixture at once. They can be sprayed or applied using stem injections.

Prevention

To avoid infection of pine trees with rust, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules of agricultural technology:

1. Select seedlings carefully.
2. Remove affected plants in a timely manner.
3. Plant intermediate and primary hosts of fungi in different places.
4. Remove weeds that can serve as a source of infection.
5. Carefully collect dry leaves.
6. Apply nitrogen fertilizers correctly. They cannot be used from mid-summer to late autumn.
7. Provide good drainage. This will help get rid of stagnant moisture.

The spread of rust pathogen spores is mainly observed from late May to early June. During this period, it is definitely recommended to treat the wood with solutions of preparations containing copper. Copper oxychloride and Abiga-Peak are well suited for this.

Rust is a rather dangerous pathology that depletes the tree and can even lead to its death. That is why it is so important to pay attention to preventive measures. If signs of infection do appear, measures must be taken immediately to destroy the pathogens. To do this, it is recommended to remove the affected fragments from the tree and use effective new generation fungicidal preparations.