Garlic: Diseases and Symptomsand Pests, Description, Uses, Propagation

Garlic: Diseases and Symptomsand Pests, Description, Uses, Propagation

Garlic

Description

Garlic, Allium sativum, is a an herbaceous, annual, bulbous plant in the family Amaryllidaceae grown for its pungent, edible bulb of the same name. The garlic plant can either have a short, woody central stem (hardneck) or a softer pseudostem made up of overlapping leaf sheaths (softneck). Hardneck varieties produce a false flower stock which is termed a 'scape' and produce larger garlic cloves but in smaller numbers. Softneck garlic is the most popular variety of garlic grown in the US. The bulb can be up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter and is made up of 1–15 cloves. The stem is very short and flattened and gives way to a pseudostem, The garlic plant can possess 6–12 flat, blade-like leaves which can stretch up to 50 cm (19.7 in) long. The plant can reach 60 cm (23.6 in) in height and is an annual, surviving only one growing season. Garlic is believed to originate from Asia.

Common Pests and Diseases

Diseases

Category : Fungal

Downy mildew Peronospora destructor

Symptoms

Pale spots or elongated patches on leaves; gray-purple fuzzy growth on leaf surface; leaves turning pale then yellow; leaf tips collapsing

Cause

Fungus

Comments

Disease emergence favored by cool temperatures and leaf wetness

Management

Avoid planting infected sets; rotate crops to non-allium species for 3-4 years; plant in well-draining areas and do not overcrowd plants; destroy all infected crop debris; apply appropriate foliar fungicides taking care to apply thoroughly to waxy leaves

Purple blotch Alternaria porri

Symptoms

Small water-soaked lesions lesions on leaves or stalk with white centers; which enlarge to become zonate and brown to purple in color with red or purple margin surrounded by yellow zone; large lesions may coalesce and girdle leaf, killing any tissue between the lesions and the leaf tip; severely infected foliage may die

Cause

Fungi

Comments

Disease emergence favored by wet foliage, with sporulation occuring during the night during periods of high humidity

Management

Cultural controls include long rotations with non-hosts and the reduction of leaf wetness by planting in well-draining soil and timing irrigation to allow plants to dry adequately during the day; some fungicides are effective at controlling the disease but should be rotated for optimal control

Bayer Aliette Fosetyl Al 80 WP Systemic Fungicide, Effective Against Fungal Disease

for more info www.agribegri.com