Carrot diseases - description, treatment, photos, resistant varieties and hybrids

Carrots are affected by many bacteria, fungi and nematodes in the field and during storage. Leaf diseases can lead to reduced yields and difficulty in harvesting. Root diseases spread during storage, dramatically reducing the size and quality of products for sale in the fall.

Correct disease identification will help you prevent future carrot disease outbreaks by adjusting growing techniques. For the main symptoms of carrot disease, their treatment and photos, see this article.

Preventive measures to combat carrot diseases

1. Use for sowing seeds obtained from healthy plants or treated with fungicidal preparations.
2. When choosing carrot seeds for sowing, preference should be given to genetically resistant varieties and hybrids.
3. Maintaining crop rotation. If there have previously been carrot diseases on the field, then the crop can be returned to the same place after 4-5 years.
4. The best way to prevent carrot rhizoctonia is to sow the crop after green manure.
5. Carrots should be placed in a field with light soils with sufficient aeration and water resistance.
6. Spatial isolation of first-year fields and seed plants.
7. Application of high doses of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
8. Timely weeding or treating the carrot field with herbicides against weeds.
9. Destruction of aphid vectors in the early period, especially on seed plantings
10. Collection of post-harvest residues, as pathogens remain on them.
11. Proper trimming of tops when harvesting.
12. Carrots should be harvested at the optimal time, preferably in dry weather, to avoid injury.
13. Carefully sorting carrots before storage.
14. Disinfection of mother root crops before storage and processing of vegetable storage in the fall and then in the spring.
15. Compliance with the organization of crop storage (temperature +1...+2°C, humidity 85-90%).
16. Before storing in piles and during storage, it is necessary to inspect root crops and discard diseased ones.
17. Careful selection of only healthy root crops when planting seeds in the ground.
18. Digging the soil in the fall.

Brown spot

Description of the disease. The causative agent of the disease is also a fungus known to gardeners as a leaf pathogen. However, paying attention to its destructive effect on the leaves, they often forget about the no less destructive effect on the root crop and causing rot in it. It appears as small, bright brown spots. The border between healthy and dying tissue is clear, as if wounded, and decay penetrates deep into the pulp.

Factors that accelerate the disease are windiness, excessive humidity and prolonged heat. With prolonged disease, you can lose a huge share of the crop.

Like many fungal diseases, brown spot causes root rot underground and directly during storage. Over time, the rot gets deeper and deeper until it completely destroys the root crop.

Description of the causative agent of the disease. All mushrooms of the species that cause brown spice live throughout the world and have similar conditions for rapid development and infection. Fungi spread in the soil through roots. They persist in the soil for an extremely long time. Depending on how severe the infestation is, brown spot kills 50% to 60% of the crop. Undead fruits lose their nutritional and external qualities, their mass and the sugars contained in them. In addition, it is incredibly difficult to remove infected carrots without contaminating the soil: the carrots get stuck in it. For gardeners, this is one of the worst carrot diseases, as it deprives the garden of productivity for a very long time.

Measures to combat the disease. Previously, in the fight against brown spot, gardeners preferred to use a product called “Rovral”. Nowadays, biofungicides “Falcon” and “Prozaro” are considered extremely effective drugs. Unfortunately, they are not registered. Also, do not forget about proper agricultural technology and species and hybrids that are resistant to this disease.

In addition, if you want to plant carrots during the growing season or store them, you should take care to treat them with a biofungicide.

Non-infectious diseases of carrots

Carrot floweriness

Carrot blossom

Flowering or bolting is the problem of the appearance of flower shoots in the first year of carrot cultivation, when normally they should not appear. Most often, this symptom appears when sowing carrots early or in years with recurrent frosts. Also, the appearance of flower stalks is affected by a decrease in temperature.

Varieties and hybrids of carrots resistant to flowering:

Narina F1, Canada F1, Cordoba F1, Olimpo F1, Carotan, Incomparable, Shantane Royal, Dzherada F1, Caramel Beauty, Morelia F1, Carolina, Amsterdam, Sweet Girl, Puchkovaya Euro, Sugar Queen, Sugar Finger, Losinoostrovskaya, Cardiff F1, Curaçao F1, Anina, Wanda, Kraska, Greta F1, Shamara, Kuroda, Scarlet, Red Core, Rubina, Metro F1, Karvora F1, Bentley F1, SV 7381 DH F1, Kardila, Taste of childhood.

Description of the original packaging of Kuroda carrot seeds (Lark Seed)

Bifurcation and curvature of carrot roots

Curvature of carrot root

The physiological cause of carrot root bifurcation is associated with improper development of educational tissue. In this case, the growth of the main root stops, which causes increased growth of secondary roots.

Curvature of carrot roots occurs due to damage to the root crop by pests at the formation stage or when grown on heavy soils.

To eliminate this problem in your field, it is worth studying the factors that cause bifurcation, fusion and curvature of root crops:

• Unfavorable weather conditions, especially low temperatures during the first two weeks of growth;
• Damage by insects and nematodes in the upper part of the root;
• Damage to various soil pathogens;
• Excess water;
• Use of unrotted manure;
• Growing carrots on soil contaminated with plant remains of the previous crop, stones or large lumps of earth.

Cracking carrot roots

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Cracking of the carrot root
This is the formation of cracks in the upper layer of the root and even its core. Often cracks are located in the longitudinal direction.

The main reason for the appearance of cracks in carrots is long periods of drought, which alternate with heavy rains or watering. During drought, the outer tissues stop growing and the cortex cells become covered with a thick cuticle. After the fruit receives moisture (rain or heavy watering), its growth resumes, but the outer tissues cannot begin to grow and therefore crack.

Prevention of cracking of root crops:

• Preparing the soil before sowing seeds and maintaining the correct watering regime;
• Regulating watering rates depending on the stage of carrot development;
• Do not exceed the dose of nitrogen application;
• During harvesting, it is necessary to reduce impacts as much as possible, reducing the height of the fall of root crops into the transport machine.

Varieties and hybrids of carrots resistant to cracking:

Red Core, Anina, Kraska, Narina F1, Abaco F1, Canada F1, Laguna F1, Romance F1, Vita Longa, Autumn Queen, Knota F1, Chicago F1, Rubina, Karvora F1, Metro F1, Rufina F1, Cardila, Touchon, Carotan , Artek, Dzherada F1, NE 7381 DH F1, Olimpo F1, Amsterdam, Lange Rote Stumpfe, 1932 F1, Type Top, York F1, Campino, Francis, Taste of childhood, Beam Euro, Caramel beauty, Varvara beauty, Sweet girl, Sugar finger , Sugar Queen, Curaçao F1.

Abaco F1 carrots in section

Nutritional deficiencies in carrots

• Nitrogen. In this case, the leaves lighten, turn yellow and die, and vegetative development is suspended.
• Phosphorus. The leaves are small in size, dull green in color with a purple tint, the petioles are directed upward, the tops quickly age.
• Calcium. Old leaves become chlorotic, later become scorched and die. Root vegetables seem to consist of several parts.
• Potassium. The leaves are chlorotic and begin to curl. Root crops develop poorly, crack, and have a very light color due to the low carotene content.
• Magnesium. Chlorosis appears on the leaves between the veins, old leaves die and the development of the plant is suspended. Often this deficiency is associated with excess potassium.
• Molybdenum. Old leaves turn light green and their tips become necrotic.
• Bor. Leaves are short with a yellow edge. Root crops crack in length and width and light gray spots appear on them.
• Copper. Noticeable growth retardation of leaves and roots.

Cercospora

A fungal disease during which light brown spots with a light center appear on carrot leaves. The next stage of cercospora blight is characterized by enlargement and lightening of the spots, as well as curling of the edges of the leaf blades.

With increased humidity from below, the spots become covered with a gray coating. On the petioles and stems they are slightly depressed and oblong in shape. Soon the spots unite, turn black and rot. Cercosporosis of the green part of the plant leads to the fact that the carrots are small and wrinkled.

Control measures: heating the seeds in water at a temperature of +50 degrees, spraying the shoots with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

Codes of resistance of carrot hybrids and varieties to various diseases

Recommendations for growing carrots from Clause (part 1)

What causes infection

There are many factors that can cause carrots to become infected. This is about:

• violation of crop rotation - it is better to plant lettuce and peas in turn;
• weed removal, which was carried out rarely and at the wrong time;
• dense crops;
• frequent and timely watering;
• mechanical damage to root crops;
• harvesting is not on time.

In addition, there is another reason for crop contamination - improper storage conditions.

Biological fungicides for controlling carrot diseases

Recommendations for growing carrots from Clause (part 2)

carrot fly

The activity of carrot pests can be determined by the characteristic damage to roots and tops.

Rodents (voles and moles) leave deep cavities on their surface.

Insects and their larvae , on the contrary, make small-sized passages in carrots. Despite the small size of the damage, root vegetables lose their presentation and taste and become unsuitable for consumption. Pests also contribute to the spread of viral and bacterial infections of carrots.

The carrot fly begins to lay eggs in the soil near plants at the end of May. The larvae that hatch from them dive into the root of the plant, often reaching its core. Damaged carrots have an irregular shape, unpleasant taste and smell. It is not stored for long, as it rots in the first months after planting.

Although the carrot fly is dangerous to the crop, it is easy to control

There are several ways to fight carrot flies.

• Firstly, early planting of this crop helps.
• Secondly, it is important not to thicken the crops, since when thinning carrots, the pest flies towards the smell that appears.
• Thirdly, you can scare away insects using irritating substances: pepper and mustard. They must be scattered between crops immediately after germination and new portions added periodically. T
• Fourthly, spraying the beds with special preparations (Iskra, Iskra BIO, etc.) helps get rid of carrot flies.

Fungicides for the treatment of carrot diseases

System for protecting carrots from pests and diseases from BASF
To keep the carrot crop safe and sound, you need to adhere to growing technology, use healthy, high-quality seeds and injure the root crops as little as possible during harvesting.

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Prevention measures

Most carrot diseases are easier to prevent than to treat. To prevent plantings from suffering from fungi and infections, it is necessary:

• disinfect seeds and soil at the beginning of the growing season;
• choose varieties that are resistant to fungal diseases for cultivation;
• follow the watering schedule, do not over-water the carrots and use only settled warm water;
• do not plant crops in the same place for more than two years in a row.

Attention! It is best to sow carrots in the garden after potatoes, mustard or onions. An undesirable precursor for the crop is beets.

Carrots must be stored at a temperature of 1-3 ° C in a dark room with a humidity level of no more than 85%. For the winter, only healthy and large vegetables without damage are harvested. They need to be placed in dry plastic or wooden boxes; it is advisable to sprinkle the root vegetables with chalk and sand mixed in equal proportions.

Types of root rot

The main diseases of carrots are of fungal or bacterial origin. In both the first and second cases, pathogenic microorganisms accumulate in the soil or are transmitted by infected seeds. Having infected a plant in the field, this group of diseases manifests itself in full force during storage.

Bacteriosis

The causative agent of the disease is bacteria that enter the plant from the soil and are carried by the larvae of the carrot fly. Active reproduction of microorganisms is promoted by warm, humid weather and dense plantings. Rotting intensifies in the case of a warm, rainy autumn, when the root crop has not had time to cool in the soil or is stored without drying. Excess nitrogen in the soil provokes the disease.

At the beginning of the development of bacteriosis, wet spots are noticeable on the root crop, which quickly grow, and characteristic signs of the rotting process appear - odor, mucus.

Prevention measures:

• Sowing seeds treated with systemic fungicides.
• Timely removal of weeds and thinning - this ensures ventilation of the beds.
• Do not get carried away with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, especially during the ripening period.
• Before storing carrots, dry them and maintain the temperature in the range of 1–3⁰ C.

White rot

Cold, rainy summers provoke the development of white rot in carrots. The disease is fungal in nature, the spores persist in the soil, infect the root crop, once in the cellar, they create large foci of infection.

Under the influence of the fungus, the pulp becomes soft, then becomes covered with a white fluffy coating, barely noticeable at the initial stage. The disease progresses quickly and “eats” the root crop.

Prevention measures:

• Planting resistant varieties, treating seeds with Fitosporin-M, fungicides.
• Compliance with crop rotation and agrotechnical requirements for crop cultivation.
• Select carrots that are firm, dry and without signs of infection for storage, and control the humidity and temperature conditions in the cellar.

Black rot

The second name for this disease is Alternaria. Multicellular Alternaria is a parasitic fungus that not only infects the plant, but also infects the seeds. At an early stage it provokes blackleg on seedlings. Infected tops are covered with a brown-green spore-bearing coating, and depressed, dry black spots appear on the root crop.

Prevention measures:

• The fight against a common carrot disease begins with compliance with the rules of agricultural technology - crop rotation, destruction of weeds, especially related celery species, fertilizing in the second half of the growing season.
• Cultivation of hybrids resistant to Alternaria, for example, Dordon F1, Champion F1.
• Harvesting crops in dry, cool weather.
• Treating the seeds, if necessary, spraying the tops with fungicides such as Antrakol, SKOR-KE.

Fusarium

If you have ever seen completely dried out, mummified root vegetables, this is most likely a manifestation of carrot fusarium. The pathogenic fungus infects the plant through the soil, less commonly through infected seeds. Rotting begins from the head of the root crop, which gradually becomes denser and eventually withers.

Like all fungal infections, fusarium disease progresses in the warm, damp autumn - juicy, undried root vegetables are an excellent environment for the proliferation of spores.

Prevention measures:

• Pre-sowing disinfection of seeds with antifungal drugs.
• Timely weeding, thinning of dense crops.

Fomoz

This is the so-called dry rot of carrots. It seems that the root crop is covered with numerous depressed ulcers. By the end of storage, it is completely destroyed, forming voids in the pulp. When infected on the root, dark purple spots can be observed on the tops.

Prevention measures:

• Destruction of foliage-infected tops, deep tillage of the soil.
• When symptoms of phomosis appear on the leaves, the plantings are sprayed with biochemical preparations with an antifungal spectrum of action.

No matter how insidious pests and diseases may be, proper care at all stages of the growing season, timely cleaning and proper storage will ensure you victory in this fight.