Bacterial cancer - This is a disease that affects all the organs of grapes.
If the infected plant is propagated in a vegetative way, this will lead to the start of production of already diseased planting material, which will contribute to further cancer spread.
It is for this reason that bacterial cancer is considered one of the most severe plant diseases.
Signs of Bacterial Cancer
Such a disease manifests itself in the form tumorswhich initially appear most often at the root collar. A cancerous tumor can most often be found on a perennial plant, but it can also be found on the roots of seedlings.
At the very beginning a small white tumor is formed under the bark, the size of which is not more than wheat grain. It is soft and loose. Such tumors can appear both individually and in groups.
With time the tumor gets biggerit hardens and, breaking the bark of the tree, protrudes to the surface. The color of the tumor can be from yellow to dark brown, sometimes black. She is bumpy and uneven. The diameter of the tumor can be from 0.5 cm to 30 cm. In winter or autumn, with the growth stopping, the tumor begins to crack.
That vine, in which tumors were found, is exhausted, lags far behind in development, the yield of berries becomes much lower. Over time, severely affected grape bushes die off, brushes on infected vines do not mature, and the berries quickly shrivel and fade.
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Causes
Grapes can become infected with cancer during contact with infected with bacteria soil, water, and also due to wounds that appeared during pruning and exposure to adverse climates.
The main distributor of the dangerous disease becomes human activity. If at least one contaminated component of the vaccination is used, diseased material will be produced for planting.
It is for this reason that it is important in the fall after the leaves fall off, or in the spring before the appearance of buds, to conduct surveys each year, during which bushes with obvious signs of disease are removed.
Infection of grapes with cancer can occur in the process. soaking cuttings before grafting. Being in the water, the bacterium is quickly sent to fresh sections, with the result that even a few diseased cuttings can lead to the fact that the entire batch of vines will be infected.
Another way to infect saplings is to grow them in a grape school. Using the same field several times in order to grow seedlings is the reason that infection begins to accumulate in the soil.
Methods of struggle
Currently there is no eeffective chemicalscapable of stopping bacterial cancer. In external areas with a bacterium, bactericide treatment can cope, however, it is not capable of destroying those bacteria that are inside the vine.
Bacterial cancer of grapes is extremely difficult to treat. When the grapes are already infected, it is almost impossible to cure it, you can only reduce the effects of the symptoms, while the vine will continue to bear fruit, but it needs careful care.
If the infection of grapes is weak, then need to be treated. Every spring, all the bushes of the plant carefully examine and check whether there are no growths on it. If growths were found, they are carefully cut to live wood. Cut tumors burn to prevent bacteria from entering the soil.
If the cancer has spread much plant, the infected shoots must be cut. Sometimes it is necessary to cut even the entire ground part of the bush. The wounds formed at the site of the cut-off tumors must be treated with a 5% solution of copper sulfate.
In order to improve the condition of the already sick grape and prolong its life, it is important to carry out all agrotechnical measures, carry out balanced watering of the plant in time and introduce the necessary complex of macro and microelements.This will make it possible to exploit the diseased plant for quite a long time, obtaining high and high-quality yields.
Disease prevention
Since the bacterium can be activated only under certain favorable conditions for it, it is important to minimize defeat grapes. To do this, you need to carry out the following preventive measures to protect the grapes from bacterial cancer:
- In the fall, the grapes should be laid carefully, so that they do not appear excess wounds;
- important spray bushes as a prevention, to prevent the development of a variety of fungi, as they can greatly weaken the plant;
- after pruning each grape bush pruner necessary disinfect using alcohol or copper sulfate;
- carry out preplant bacterization bases of cuttings and roots of seedlings.
It is important to remember that can not be planted on the site of a remote infected shrub a young bush of grapes. The bacterium can live in the soil from three to five years, so it is easy to infect the diseased seedling.
Vulnerable varieties
There are currently no grape varieties resilient to bacterial cancer. The hardest hit in any growing areas is the following. varieties:
- Muscat Odessa;
- Pinot black;
- Bastardo Magarach;
- Sauvignon green;
- Muscat Hamburg;
- Shasla;
- Muscat is white;
- Firstborn Magaracha;
- Kar-Dinal;
- Feteasca;
- Queen of the vineyards;
- Suruchensky white;
- Traminer pink;
- Delight;
- Odessa black;
- Italy;
- Pearl Saba;
- Merlot
Bacterial cancer that can appear in any grape variety, is one of the most dangerous diseases. Proper care can protect the grapes from bacterial cancer and prolong the life of an already infected plant.
