The jest in Maine is that when August come around it ’s best to shut up your cable car doors , otherwise you ’re likely to detect a pile of zucchini on the back seat when you get back . With such a glut of zucchini , it ’s hard to believe that these popular vegetable are subject to a whole host of destructive disease .
1. Phytophthora blight
Phytophthora blight is a serious fungous disease that bear upon members of the cucurbit , or squash , family , including courgette . It induce damp off of seedlings , leaf spots , foliar blight , ancestor rot , crown rot , yield bunk , and root word lesions .
Gardeners can manage phytophthora blight by embed zucchini in well - drained field of force . To prevent the blight from spread it ’s authoritative to branch zucchini from other susceptible crop such as eggplant , tomato , and other squashes . Gardeners should also ( 1 ) plant zucchini in hills or domes , rather than on flat undercoat ; ( 2 ) apply insubordinate assortment ; and ( 3 ) white tools and shoes to avoid spread the disease .
For more information on phytophthora blight on cucurbits check outthis university of Cornell extension article .
2. Plectosporium blight
Plectosporium blight is a fungal disease that can overwinter in the ground for a turn of years . The spore are spread by the current of air . Cool , rainy weather promotes the spread of this blight . nurseryman can spot the disease by the clean , diamond - mold lesions on vine and round lesions on fruit and leaves .
In austere plague the vines and leaf petiole turn white-hot and the leaves go . Lesions allow hogwash pathogen to infect the yield .
Home gardeners can manage the disease by using trickle irrigation or else of overhead lacrimation , handle under craw residuum after harvest , employing a three - yr crop rotation , and insure salutary atmosphere circulation in the fields . With large crop gardener may decide to utilise fungicides in addition to these direction techniques in purchase order to command the disease .
you could find more information on plectosporium blight , including photographs , atthis UMass lengthiness website .
3. Squash mosaic virus (SqMV)
squelch mosaic virus ( SqMV ) is a seminal fluid borne disease disseminate by the spotted and striped cucumber beetle . Infected mature leave of absence show blistering , solidifying , and a dark-green mosaic ( mottling ) pattern . Leaves of unseasoned seedling come out distorted and pallid in colour . Planting disease - free semen and hold in the Cucumis sativus beetles can stop SqMV .
For more entropy on SqMV , you may study up courtesy ofthe Ohio State University Extension .
4. Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV)
courgette jaundiced mosaic computer virus ( ZYMV ) is another one of a number of diseases that cause the leafage mottling known as mosaic . ZYMV is transmitted by aphid , which carry the disease on their probing mouthparts . Pokeweed and other weeds nurse viruses and serve as emcee for the insect that transfer viruses .
Controlling aphid as well as weeds around garden can help manage the disease . The skilful control , however , is to plant mosaic - resistant variety .
This will help youlearn more about ZYMV and other mosaic virus of cucurbits .
Cornell University ’s Department of Plant Pathology also has an excellentfact sheet(with picture ) call Viral Diseases of Cucurbits .
Creative Commons Flickr photo courtesy ofJeremy Keith
