Fungal Diseases

6/9/2016

There’s a fungus among us!

In truth, there are more fungal species and individual fungi than anyone could imagine. Fungi are the most common cause of plant disease and crop loss.

Did you know that fungi are more closely related to animals than plants?

Mycologists are scientists who study fungi. They are still debating where fungi fall in the world of taxonomy because fungi have characteristics of both plants and animals. Like plant cells, fungal cells contain mitochondria, ribosomes, vacuoles, and a cell wall. But they lack chloroplasts, the same as animal cells. Most fungi lack a vascular bundle, so they use tiny structures in the base, similar to roots, to suck nutrients out of whatever is beneath them. Fungi can reproduce sexually or asexually, depending on the species, using spores or similar structures. Those spores are where problems in the garden start happening.

Strawberry fruit with fungal growth (Kate Russell)

Spores in spring

As the weather starts warming and rains fall in spring, fungal spores take to the skies with every breeze. A single citrus mummy can hold billions of fungal spores that can infect nearby fruit, trees, and other plants. If you see a mummy in the garden, get rid of it. Also, don’t count on drier summer weather to clear out fungal diseases - powdery mildew loves dry weather!

Common fungal diseases

Fungal plant diseases can be difficult to defeat once they take hold. Fungal infections include blights, blotches, molds, mildews, rots, rusts, scabs, scurfs, and spots. You can find a more detailed list below.

How to control fungal diseases

The most common response to fungal infestations is the use of fungicides. As quickly as fungi evolve, however, applying fungicide too frequently or incorrectly creates resistant varieties that are even more difficult to control. These good cultural practices can help your garden plants protect themselves without chemicals:

Prune regularly and correctly to remove infected or damaged areas, increase airflow, and improve plant health.
Irrigate deeply in the early morning, but do not create mud. Roots, tubers, and tree trunks will rot if the soil stays wet too long.
Keep sprinkler sprays off tree trunks.
Improve soil structure with compost for better porosity and drainage.
Keep plants healthy with regular, appropriate feeding. Stimulating too much tender new growth can invite disaster when fungal spores are abundant.
Install resistant varieties. Plant labels that carry “VF” after the plant name are resistant.
Control pests that spread fungal diseases, such as soft scale and aphids.
If you must use fungicides, follow the directions exactly, completely, and without fail.

When it comes to fungal diseases, prevention is far more effective than trying to get rid of them.

Detailed list of fungal diseases:

0 Comments

Garden Word of the Day

Fungal Diseases

Leave a Reply.

Welcome!

Index

Archives