The best ways to treat eggplant diseases: photos and descriptions

Eggplant diseases, as well as attacks by insect pests, can destroy the plants and leave the owners without a harvest. To effectively cope with diseases, you need to know their first signs and methods of treatment. Also, do not forget about prevention - this is the best remedy against infections and pests.

In the article you will find descriptions, causes and symptoms of the most common eggplant diseases with photographs and learn how to treat the diseases.

How to understand that eggplants are sick

Any change in the shape and color of the trunk, leaves, flowers and fruits of a plant is a serious reason to pay attention to the health of the plantings. The appearance of spots is another sign that cannot be ignored. If the eggplant gets sick during the flowering period, it the flowers shrink, dry out and fall off.

Fungal diseases are the most common and can be effectively treated. Bacterial infections can also be treated. Viral diseases are contagious and difficult to cure. They are fought by destroying diseased bushes and disinfecting garden tools.

Causes of diseases

Being a heat-loving plant, eggplant requires care.

Any deviation from the rules of agricultural technology leads to weak plantings and subsequent diseases:

1. Lack of sunlight. Each period of eggplant development requires a certain amount of light.So, for seedlings, the optimal length of daylight is 10 hours, otherwise the plant withers and gets sick. The bushes on which the fruits ripen also need sufficient sunlight. Planting bushes is best done on the sunny side of the site. Eggplants do not grow or develop in the shade.
2. Water scarcity. Do not allow the soil to dry out or become swampy. Seedlings need watering 3 times a week. In hot weather - every other day. Bushes with ripe fruits are watered once a week - about 4 liters of water per bush.
3. Watering with too cold water. Causes not only diseases, but also the death of the plant. The reason is the lack of heat necessary for full growth and development. The root system functions actively only in warm soil. For irrigation, water heated by the sun is used.
4. Lack of nutrients. Potassium deficiency causes leaves to curl and develop a brown rim on the edges. A change in their color to a lighter color indicates a nitrogen deficiency. Leaves stretching upward indicate a lack of phosphorus. The absence of any of the elements means inadequate nutrition of the plant, which causes weakened immunity.
5. Other reasons include insects, which not only eat plants, but also act as carriers of infections.

Eggplant diseases and their symptoms

Start the fight against any disease in a timely manner. The sooner signs of the disease are noticed, the more successful the fight will be, the faster recovery will occur and fruiting will be restored.

Let's look at eggplant diseases with photos and methods of treating them.

Curling leaves

Curled eggplant leaves indicate:

1. Insufficient watering.The soil must be moistened as soon as the top layer dries.
2. Nutrient deficiency. 1 tsp. adding ash under each bush helps get rid of deformed leaves.
3. Excess fertilizer with little irrigation. If the soil is oversaturated with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and watering is poor, the leaves begin to curl and dry out. In this case, stop feeding and increase the amount of watering.
4. Changes in soil temperature or moisture. Adapting, the plant will straighten its leaves without help.

Blackleg

A fungal infection that attacks young plants. It appears as a dark stripe on the bottom of the stem. The trunk dries out in this place and the eggplant dies. The provoking factor is excess moisture in the soil, which promotes the development of fungus.

A plant affected by blackleg cannot be cured.. It is removed and the soil is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, “Maxim”, “Previkur”. To remove excess moisture, sprinkle the ground with a small amount of sand.

Traditional methods of control include spraying with infusion of onion peels and treating the soil with ash once a week.

Yellowness of leaves

Yellowness of the leaves can appear in both seedlings and adult plants.

The absence of other signs indicates:

• insufficient soil moisture;
• lack of potassium and nitrogen;
• using cold water for irrigation;
• unsuitable soil for seedlings.

Preventive measures - timely and dosed application fertilizing, planting seedlings in sterilized and acidic soil.

Important! Yellowing of foliageaccompanied by other signs always indicates the presence of a disease in the plant. The absence of additional symptoms indicates a violation of the rules of agricultural technology.

Black spot

A dangerous bacterial disease that affects eggplants at any stage of development. High humidity is the main cause of the disease.

The first symptoms are small black spots on the leaves with a yellow edge. After 7-10 days they acquire a convex shape. 2 weeks after this, if treatment is not started, the plant becomes covered with ulcers.

For treatment, use “Fitolavin” every 2 weeks and “Gamair” once.

Attention! Not only diseased plants are subject to treatment, but also the soil around them. All remaining vegetation must be removed and destroyed.

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew on eggplants is caused by a fungus that becomes active during periods of high humidity with frequent temperature fluctuations. A white coating appears on the upper side of the leaves, resembling spilled flour. Over time, the leaves dry out, fall off, and the bush itself fades.

Reference. White coating on the underside of leaves is downy mildew, or downy mildew.

As treatment, spraying with a solution of colloidal sulfur or the drug “Topaz” is used. Use according to instructions. It is necessary to reduce the number of waterings.

The popular way to combat powdery mildew is to scatter ash on the surface of the beds and around them.

Tobacco mosaic

One of the diseases carried by insects. Very contagious. The pathogen persists for a long time on plant debris.

Manifested by the following symptoms:

• deformation and pallor of leaves;
• spots of dark and light green colors, similar to a mosaic;
• Over time, holes appear on the leaves;
• The growth of the fruits slows down and they become covered with yellow spots.

The disease spreads through infected seeds. As a preventive measure, before sowing, they are soaked for 30 minutes in a 20% solution of hydrochloric acid, after which they are washed under running water.

Treatment is carried out with the drug "Fitosporin" or "Uniflor-micro". A folk remedy is a solution of milk and laundry soap. Plants are sprayed with it once every 10 days.

Phomopsis

Caused by a fungus at high humidity and high temperature. It appears as round light spots on the leaves and trunk. Gray and brown spots appear on the fruits, which rot and become covered with mucus.

Diseased plants are removed from the garden bed and destroyed. There is no effective treatment; prevention is necessary to prevent the disease. To do this, the seeds are disinfected before landing, periodically treat the plants with “Fundazol” and “Derozal”.

Late blight

A common disease that is transmitted from all nightshades to each other.

The most striking symptoms are:

• dark spots with bright green edging on foliage;
• white-gray coating on the underside of the leaves;
• spots cover the stems and fruits, causing rot.

To combat, drugs containing copper, Bordeaux mixture, are used. “Quadris” and “Antrakol” have proven themselves well.

Folk remedies include spraying with whey, garlic infusion, and dusting with wood ash.

Alternaria, or gray rot

The fruits growing at the bottom of the bush are first affected. Weeping brown spots appear on them, which later spread to the foliage.

Treat with “Chorus” and “Anthracol” in accordance with the instructions for use. For prevention, they are treated with colloidal sulfur, Fitosporin, and copper sulfate.

Sclerotinia, or white rot

The fungus that causes white rot is widespread throughout the continent and affects a large number of plants. Eggplant foliage becomes lighter, the trunks rot at the base, a white coating with black dots forms, and the fruits become covered with white spots.

Treatment of white rot on eggplants involves spraying with Oksikhom, HOM or Abiga-Pik. It is also necessary to prune the affected parts of the bush.

Folk remedies include spraying with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or iodine.

Apical rot

Refers to viral infections. Necrotic spots form on the side of the fruit. They are watery, but as they grow, they dry out.

Treatment consists of adding fertilizers containing potassium and calcium to the soil. Affected leaves and fruits must be removed. To prevent blossom end rot, water at the roots and spray the bushes with an infusion of ash.

Cercospora

A fungal disease that appears as small yellow spots on the leaves. The growth of spots causes the death of foliage. The fruits stop developing and become deformed.

Bordeaux mixture is very effective at the initial stage of the disease. In advanced cases, the drugs “Skor”, “Raek”, “Fundazol” are used. It is necessary to apply mineral fertilizers.

Phytoplasmosis

A viral infection that cannot be treated. Affected bushes are removed and burned. The disease manifests itself by staining the foliage in purple-reddish shades, and cracks form on the leaves. The fruits are hard and deformed.

The disease can be prevented by clearing the area of ​​all weeds and plant debris before planting. Insects carrying the virus are destroyed with insecticides.

Verticillium wilt

Insects are carriers of the disease. Pathogens remain in the soil and on plant debris. A sharp change in weather serves as an impetus for the development of the disease.

A blackened stem with oozing mucus and fading yellow foliage are signs of verticillium wilt.

To prevent disease, plants and the soil under them are sprayed with a solution of potassium permanganate or “Fitosporin”. Insecticides are used to kill insects. Be sure to apply complex mineral fertilizers.

Internal necrosis

A viral infection leading to mummification of fruits. Mature plants cannot be restored.

This disease cannot be cured, but it can be prevented. To do this, the seeds are kept in a 20% solution of hydrochloric acid for 30 minutes before planting. Then washed in running water and dried.

Main types of eggplant pests

Insect pests not only transmit viral infections, but also destroy the foliage and fruits of eggplants. Insects multiply very quickly and are capable of completely destroying plantings.

Let's talk about the pests that attack eggplants and how to combat them.

Aphid

These are small green bugs with a soft body that feed on plant sap. They form colonies on the inside of leaves, which curl and dry out as the colony grows. Lack of nutrients leads to the death of the entire plant.

The insecticides “Karbofos” and “Keltan” destroy aphids completely. Adherents of folk methods of struggle use spraying with onion broth and tincture of tobacco ash. You can wipe the leaves with a solution of laundry soap and ash.

Colorado beetle

Not only beetles, but also their larvae feed on the leaves, causing irreparable damage.If measures are not taken in time to combat the Colorado potato beetle, eggplants will be left without foliage.

Insecticides are the best remedy against the beetle. But when formation of ovaries and constant collection of fruits, their use is not recommended. You can get rid of Colorado potato beetles without chemicals. Manually collecting pests, spraying eggplants with garlic broth, and dusting the plantings with ash will save the situation.

Spider mite

It lives on the underside of the leaves, sucks the juice from them and entangles the plant in a white, thin but thick web.

Important! Before spraying the bushes, all cobwebs are manually removed. Spraying is carried out exclusively on the undersides of the leaves.

How to process eggplants:

• acaricides “Floromite”, “Sunmite” - the interval between spraying should not exceed 5 days;
• infusions of plants with a pungent odor (garlic, calendula, onion) - they will not help get rid of spider mites that have already appeared, but they will scare them away.

Whitefly

A butterfly feeding on eggplant juice. It lives on the underside of the leaf; its secretions, which favor the development of fungi, pose a danger.

Spraying with Fitoverm and Aktara will help destroy the whitefly.

Medvedka

Lives in the ground, feeds on roots. As a result, the plant dries out. There will always be mole cricket burrows not far from the plantings, around which Medvetox must be scattered.

Classic measures include sprinkling the soil with ground pepper and watering with decoctions of onion and garlic.

Cruciferous flea beetle

A small black bug that completely eats away the foliage, leaving only hard veins. Flea beetle larvae are found in the ground and feed on roots.

Insecticides, such as Actellik, help in the fight against cruciferous flea beetles.

Spraying with infusion of wormwood, dandelion, garlic or dusting with wood ash or ground pepper also gives results.

Slugs

Voracious mollusks that feed not only on the foliage, but also on the fruits of the plant. They crawl out of their shelters at night and leave behind slimy trails and large holes in the leaves.

The most effective method in the fight against slugs is considered to be powder containing metaldehyde. Used in an amount of 3 g per 1 m². Coarse salt or ground pepper is also scattered around the eggplant beds.

Prevention measures

Preventative measures include:

• seed disinfection;
• compliance with crop rotation rules;
• soil disinfection before planting;
• thinning dense plantings;
• compliance with the rules of watering and fertilizing;
• timely removal of weeds and plant debris from the site.

Conclusion

Eggplant is a delicate crop that, under unfavorable conditions and poor quality care exposed to numerous diseases and pest attacks.

Regular care and timely preventive measures will help you avoid the problems described in the article and get a high yield.