Gardeners always rejoice at the beautiful, healthy appearance of their plants and a bountiful harvest. It happens that the leaves of apple trees that open in the spring begin to lighten. Then whitish spots appear on the surface, which quickly increase. The leaves stop growing, become thin and dry out. These are the first signs of the development of a milky sheen in an apple tree. Therefore, the necessary measures are immediately taken.
Description of the disease
The disease affects fruit plants. It is not observed on wild trees.
The disease occurs on apple trees:
- in the North Caucasus;
- in the southern regions of Russia;
- in Ukraine;
- in Crimea.
Air cavities form under the skin of the leaves, as a result of which the leaves acquire a silvery tint and die. The disease can develop for 3-4 years, after which the apple tree dies.
Causes
There are two types of disease:
- Parasitic. This type of milky sheen is caused by a fungus. It appears after a harsh winter on apple trees damaged by the cold. The tree trunk becomes dark. The fruiting bodies of the fungus are visible on dead branches. The spores infect the crop in spring and autumn when the weather becomes humid. Penetrates through wounds and cracks.
- Non-parasitic. Occurs during air and soil drought, after sudden changes in temperature in a short period of time, during severe frosts. Most often, the disease goes away after the onset of favorable weather conditions. The disease is usually noticed in August and on all leaves at once.
Causes:
- freezing of wood in early spring;
- sunburn;
- damage to roots by agricultural implements;
- damage to trees by insects.
The development of the disease is promoted by:
- cold and rainy autumn;
- lack of mineral salts in the apple tree;
- prolonged humidity.
The disease is very rare and poorly studied.
Manifestations of the disease
The first manifestation is a change in foliage color. It becomes whitish-matte with a shiny tint. On branches affected by the disease, apples develop poorly and fall off early. After three years, the branches dry out completely. The disease affects some areas, sometimes the entire apple tree.
Treatment of milky shine on an apple tree
The disease must be recognized in time. The affected branches are cut out, otherwise the disease will quickly spread throughout the apple tree and it will die. It will be impossible to cure the plant.
Silver spots appear not only on the leaves, but also on the bark. In this case:
- the affected area is cut out;
- the surface is cleaned;
- washed with the prepared solution; for this, 400 g of copper sulfate are diluted in a 10-liter bucket of water.
When a milky sheen appears, treat all wounds through which the disease easily penetrates. For this use:
- water-based paint;
- garden var;
- oil paint;
- plasticine.
It is impossible to fight a disease that has affected the entire tree. In this case, the plant is uprooted and burned.
Theoretically, a strong and healthy apple tree can heal on its own, provided proper care and regular feeding. But this happens extremely rarely.
Most often, the disease is confused with powdery mildew and inappropriate treatment is used. When all signs are fully manifested, the plant dies, and the disease moves to neighboring plantings.
If the entire tree turns silver at once, then most likely the apple tree was struck by a false disease that occurs after very harsh winters. The disease appears unexpectedly and then suddenly disappears after a couple of years. Therefore, there is no reason for strong concern. To check the type of milky sheen, cut off the diseased branch. If the wood and bark are alive, then everything is fine with the plant. Such a tree does not require treatment, all that remains is to properly care for it.
Prevention measures
There are no chemicals to combat milky shine. The best way to avoid disease is prevention.
To exclude the disease, follow simple recommendations:
- Protects the plant from freezing. To do this, the space around the tree is mulched.
- Do not plant seedlings in wet and low-lying areas.
- For frost resistance, they are fed with potassium and phosphorus fertilizer.
- Apple trees are watered at the beginning of the growing season, and at the end, watering is completely stopped.
- Dead branches are removed. The cut is disinfected and covered with garden varnish.
- At the beginning and end of the season, apple trees are sprayed with a solution of iron sulfate.
- For planting, seedlings intended for a specific area are selected.
- Whitewashing is carried out. To do this, add 2 kilograms of lime and half a kilogram of copper sulfate to 10 liters of water.
- At the end of autumn they feed with wood ash.
- Periodically spray with onion infusion.
If all preventive measures are followed, the possibility of infection with milky sheen is minimized.
