From moniliosis on an apple tree you can lose 80% of the harvest. The fungal infection affects not only the fruits of pome crops; all stone fruits suffer from fruit rot: cherry, peach, plum, apricot. Timely treatment of tree crowns and a set of preventive measures prevent the spread of infection in the garden.
- Who is the causative agent of the disease
- Forms of moniliosis
- Fruit rot
- Monilial burn
- Stages
- Conidial
- Sclerotial
- Optimal development conditions
- How does infection occur?
- Description of the disease
- Symptoms and first signs of infection
- Why is fruit rot dangerous for an apple tree?
- Ways to protect apple trees from moniliosis
- How to treat if infection occurs
- Mechanical destruction of affected plants
- Chemicals
- Biological drugs
- Use of fungicides
- Folk methods of struggle
- Scheme and processing time
- How long does it take to get rid of fruit rot?
- Resistant apple varieties
Who is the causative agent of the disease
The disease is caused by a ubiquitous fungus. The causative agent monilinia fructigena is ubiquitous. Apple trees growing in temperate and warm climates are equally affected by it. The fungus monilinia fructigena damages apples, pears and stone fruits. The pathogen monilinia mali is highly specialized. It infects only one type of plant; only apple and pear trees are affected. This type of infection is common in the southern regions and gardens of the Far East. The life cycle of the fungus monilinia fructigena consists of 2 stages, and that of monilinia mali - of 3.
Forms of moniliosis
The disease can occur in different ways. Its symptoms and course depend on the type of fungus that has infected the fruit tree. There are two forms of moniliosis:
- fruit rot;
- monilial burn.
Fruit rot
A tree infected with the fungus monilinia fructigena can be recognized by the symptoms of fruit rot, which appear on young apples:
- at the initial stage these are small spots of brown color;
- the entire surface gradually turns brown;
- The pulp has no taste, its structure becomes spongy;
- Small gray-yellow pads form on the surface of the apples; they create a pattern in the form of circles.
Apples infected with the fungus mummify, turn black, and harden if the weather is cold and dry. In humid, warm summers, most apples are affected by fruit rot in the filling phase and at the ripening stage. Part of the crop dies during storage and transportation.
Monilial burn
The first signs of a monilial burn may appear in the spring.In May, you can see leaves on apple trees that are distinguished by the red color of the leaf blade in the area of the central vein.
The infection affects:
- leaves;
- petioles;
- inflorescences;
- ovaries
When examining the underside of diseased leaves, small white conidial pads may be visible. Infection (monilinia mali) causes drying of the fruiting shoot (leaves, ovary). In mature fruits, monilial burn does not occur.
Stages
The life cycles of the fungus occur during the fruiting period of the apple tree. The fungus monilinia fructigena, which causes fruit rot, is characterized by 2 stages: conidial, sclerotial. The pathogen monilinia mali may also have a rare third stage - marsupial.
Conidial
At this stage, a mycelium is formed from single-celled colorless conidia in the form of a large number of chains. Conidia spread through raindrops, gusts of wind, and insects.
Fruits whose surface has mechanical damage suffer from infection. They are formed as a result of bad weather or due to insect pests. A larger percentage of apples suffer from fruit rot if the weather is warm and rainy in summer.
Sclerotial
This stage occurs during the period when the apple tree is at rest. The fungus, in the form of mycelium, overwinters in unharvested and fallen apples or in cracks in the bark.
Optimal development conditions
The degree of infection of the apple tree depends on the intensity of sporulation. It is determined by weather conditions. The optimal values of humidity and air temperature that increase the activity of the fungus are given in the table.
| Characteristic | Meaning |
| Humidity | > 90% |
| Temperature | 13 to 15 °C |
How does infection occur?
Spores lead to disease; they penetrate apples and tree tissue through micro- and macrocracks. The main reasons leading to moniliosis of apple trees:
- vital activity of insect pests;
- the presence of infected apples, their contact with healthy fruits;
- other apple tree diseases;
- the variety has low resistance to fungi monilinia mali, monilinia fructigena;
- poor care of fruit trees, lack of preventive measures.
The infection is spread by wind, rain, insects, and dirty garden tools. A long winter with frosts, snowfalls and a protracted spring, which does not bring joy with warm, sunny days, contribute to the appearance of the disease. The fungus enters warehouses along with dirty storage containers.
Description of the disease
The disease initially affects the trunks of fruit trees. Fungal spores fall on the fruit, so apples are affected by moniliosis before and after harvesting. The infection is not afraid of frost; its active spread occurs during flowering and fruit set.
Symptoms and first signs of infection
It is possible to determine that a tree is sick 5 days after infection. Symptoms indicate moniliosis:
- brown spots on apples;
- carrion;
- small fluffy pads on the fruits;
- curled, dark leaves;
- browned flowers.
Why is fruit rot dangerous for an apple tree?
Initially, the fungus destroys the crop. In the absence of therapeutic and preventive measures, the tree dies over time. His weakened immune system is unable to cope with pathogens and pests.
Ways to protect apple trees from moniliosis
In the summer, measures are taken to prevent the disease. Fungicides are applied in spring, autumn and when symptoms of the disease appear.The spread of the fungus is prevented by the timely removal of infected apples, the application of root and foliar fertilizing, and the cleanliness of the tree trunk circle.
How to treat if infection occurs
Based on the timing of fruit ripening and the degree of infection of the tree, gardeners determine how best to combat the infection.
Mechanical destruction of affected plants
In autumn, the remaining fruits are removed from the trees. They are disposed of outside the garden plot. The spores do not die if the apples are buried in the ground.
Infected fruits are the main source of infection; they are pecked by birds, eaten by pests (codling moth, weevil), and spores are spread throughout the garden.
All dry shoots are cut out and burned. When removing a diseased branch, up to 10 cm of healthy tree tissue is grabbed. Apple tree trunks are covered with a layer of lime. For greater effect, a fungicide solution is added to it. In the summer, trees are inspected, fungus-affected shoots, ovaries, and fruits are cut out and destroyed.
Chemicals
Chemical agents that have been tested by more than one generation of gardeners, Bordeaux mixture and copper sulfate are relevant in the fight against moniliosis of apple trees. Before the leaves bloom, use a 3% solution, in autumn and summer - 1%. Prevention of the disease is pest control; it is carried out with the help of insecticides: “Aktara”, “Profi”, “Decis”.
Biological drugs
Treatment of apple trees with biological products gives good results. “Pentaphage C” is used if there is little time left before harvesting. This product is safe for humans, so trees and fruits can be sprayed with its solution several days before picking apples.
Harmless to humans and effective against fungus:
- "Fitolavin";
- "Alirin";
- "Fitosporin M".
Use of fungicides
Fungicides contain active substances that kill the fungus and inhibit its reproductive abilities. When treating apple trees for moniliosis, they resort to help:
- "Skora";
- "Horus"
- "Abiga Peak".
Solutions of these drugs are sprayed on all parts of the diseased tree, and the soil around the trunk is treated. Fungicides are used throughout the season. Treatment is carried out once every 2 weeks.
Folk methods of struggle
There are no folk recipes that destroy the fungus. There are proven methods for controlling apple tree pests (codling moth, weevil), they can be used to prevent fungal diseases.
Scheme and processing time
The table shows proven treatment schemes against moniliosis.
| A drug | Consumption | Usage time |
| "Hom" | 40 g per bucket of water, 5 liters of solution per 1 apple tree | 1 time in the budding phase, 2 times after flowering |
| "Horus" | 2 g of product per bucket of water | Preventive treatments are carried out throughout the season (once every 2 weeks), for the purpose of treatment at least 2 times, flowering trees are not treated, at least 2 weeks must pass from the date of the last spraying to harvesting the apple trees |
| Bordeaux mixture | Consumption of 1% solution – per 1 m² 200 ml | Treatment is carried out once every 2 weeks |
| "Strobe" | 2 g of product per bucket of water | Trees are treated once every 2 weeks, the last time 30 days before harvesting |
How long does it take to get rid of fruit rot?
One, two apple tree treatments Can't get rid of fruit rot. Fungal spores spread throughout the season. Symptoms of the disease can appear at any time. Therapeutic spraying should be carried out when signs of disease appear, and preventive measures should be carried out regularly.
Resistant apple varieties
There are no varieties with 100% resistance to the fungi monilinia fructigena, monilinia mali.Summer ripening apple trees suffer more from them.
The following varieties are considered relatively resistant:
- Parmen winter golden;
- Jubilee;
- Pepin saffron;
- Welsey;
- Slav.
By choosing them, gardeners protect the garden from fruit rot.
