Beetroot is a vegetable that is a frequent guest on the human table, but at the same time remains capricious. What to do if negativity manifests itself in the condition of tops and root crops? Beet leaves themselves are juicy, therefore they are a breeding ground for pathogens of vegetable diseases. If a plant suffers from a pest attack, there is a 20 to 70% chance of loss. To keep root vegetables intact, it is necessary to take measures.
Why does the green mass suffer?
There are different reasons why beet leaves turn black. In most cases it depends on the person. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the vegetable in order to prevent the development of any disease in time.There are the most common reasons why beet leaves turn black.
Corneater
Experienced gardeners and farmers identify the root beetle. In addition to beets, it can affect other plants. The causative agents are various bacteria and fungi. The following signs of the disease are distinguished:
- the foliage and stem of the crop turns black;
- young shoots die before they even appear on the surface of the soil.
If the disease is in an advanced form, the harvest amount is reduced by up to 45%. This occurs as a result of lack of proper treatment.
The appearance of the root beetle is promoted by:
- damage to the culture by negative microorganisms;
- poor soil aeration;
- low level of soil acidity;
- poor quality of seeds for sowing.
It is difficult to get rid of the root beetle, since it is difficult to remove from the soil. Thanks to this, pests can accumulate in large numbers and subsequently spread to other vegetable crops. They are preserved even in seeds that a person plans to sow next season.
Beets become resistant to the pest only after the formation of the second pair of true leaves.
Fusarium rot
If the leaf petioles begin to darken at the base, you need to dig up the root crop and inspect it. The appearance of cracks covered with a white coating indicates the presence of Fusarium rot. A similar picture is observed when a plant is damaged by brown rot. In the second case, instead of a white coating there will be a brown one.
To protect the beets from rot and stop the process of blackening of the leaves, the soil is deoxidized. To do this, use chalk or lime. Areas where water stagnates are dried. Complex feeding should include a substance such as boron.
Regular loosening of row spacing should not be neglected. At the same time, it must be deep.If a person notices an infected plant in a garden bed, they act immediately. The affected bush is removed and destroyed so that the affected beet tops do not infect other plants.
People who grow vegetables often wonder: why do beet leaves turn black due to fusarium rot? The most common problem is a large amount of moisture. Many gardeners make the mistake of watering their vegetables frequently. Beets love water, but in moderation.
At the same time, it tends to accumulate moisture and consume it in hot weather. This fact must be taken into account. Do not water beets during the rainy season, as stagnation of water cannot be avoided. The soil allocated for the beet plot should be slightly moist and not stick to your hands.
Ascochyta blight
Beets can also suffer from ascochyta blight. Blue-green spots appear on the leaves. Gradually they turn brown, and black dots form in the center. They are usually called pycnidia.
To definitively recognize the disease, you need to examine the seeds and roots of the plant. They are also covered with dots. The causes of infection lie in the weakened immunity of the culture. The seeds and soil are pre-infected with pests that were transferred into the soil by crop residues.
Gardeners most often encounter a similar phenomenon. Spots on beets that appear on infected leaves cannot be saved. Even if a person treats them with a solution, it will not restore them. Spraying will help preserve root crops.
In this case, the crop will independently try to get rid of the blackened leaf. It dries up and falls off. The vegetable produces new and already healthy leaves. This way the plant recovers.
What to do?
The earlier the disease is noticed, the greater the chance of getting rid of it completely. The following rules should be followed:
- Pay attention to general health measures that are aimed at preventing plants from diseases during the growing season and storage.
- Do not plant the crop in the same place for several years in a row.
- Grow only those varieties that are resistant to diseases.
- Those varieties of crops that require optimal nutrition and do not receive it from the soil suffer from great vulnerability. To do this, balance the composition of the soil if they notice that the plant is missing something.
Royal roots and beet seeds most often are carriers of pathogens of various diseases. This fact is always taken into account before planting vegetables. To obtain the result, planting material is etched with protective and stimulating substances. This will not only protect the plant from the appearance of black spots on beet leaves, but will also protect it from a host of other diseases.
How to get rid of the disease?
Experienced gardeners advise using the following rules if the beet tops begin to turn black:
- Every 3 months, spray the plant that has black spots. Medicines must contain copper oxychloride.
- If there is a need to use Kartotsid, Bordeaux mixture or Abiga-pik.
- Digging the soil to a depth of 20–25 cm will help get rid of the fungus. As a result of this, he dies.
If the foliage has already turned black, you may have to remove the entire plant from the bed. In some cases, this is necessary to protect other crops from the spread of the disease. One of the important rules is compliance with crop rotation.Before planting a crop, the bed must be cleared of the remnants of the previous vegetable, especially if the crop has already been harvested.
Preventive measures
Experienced gardeners use a little trick - they do not allow the development of any diseases. To do this, they do not neglect the rules of prevention. Doing this is much easier than trying to get rid of pests, cure a vegetable and reap a rich harvest.
Prevention measures:
- Follow agricultural practices during cultivation. Take seriously the issue of preparing seeds and planting them in the ground.
- The leafy part of the plant loves fertilizers with boron. Do not disrupt the vegetable feeding plan.
- If the same variety has black spots on its leaves for the second season in a row, do not plant it. It's better to choose another one.
- Give preference to varieties that are resistant to various diseases that lead to the appearance of spots on the foliage.
- Inspect the seedlings every day. If spots are found on the leaves, immediately get rid of the crop before the disease attacks other bushes.
- Harvest from the beds on time. Remove any remaining infected vegetables from the ground.
- Select root vegetables before winter storage.
Even if the fruits have already been collected and stored in the basement, this does not mean that everything is fine with them. A person should periodically inspect beets and remove spoiled root crops in a timely manner. The same should be done with seeds. Throw away spoiled ones and under no circumstances plant them in the soil.
A competent approach to agricultural technology and timely fertilizing will make the vegetable practically invulnerable to pathogens. If the culture still could not be protected from the disease, it is important to know how to quickly correct the situation. Correctly selected treatment will save most of the harvest.Treatment experience will help you avoid repeating the gardener’s mistakes next season.
