First of all thank you all for your overwhelming response on our last post. Despite of jumping to our next plant celebrity we wanted to give what you wished for. Yes, this post is all about some sources of threats for your ginger and how to battle them as some of our followers were keen in knowing so. Here we go…
1# Bacterial wilt of ginger
Symptoms
Green leaves infected with the pathogen roll and curl (“green wilt”); leaves turn yellow then necrotic; plants become stunted and die; rhizomes are discolored and water-soaked and may be rotting inside.
Comments
Disease spread via infested soil; i.e., it is caused by bacteria that survive in the soil on plant debris.
Management
Plant ginger in well-draining soil where ginger had not been previously grown; plant only pathogen free seed (rhizome); plant ginger on hills to aid soil drainage and promote air flow around the rhizome; rotate ginger with non-hosts of bacterial infestation.
2# Beetle problems
Symptoms
“Shot-hole” appearance of leaves; entire leaf consumed with the exception of the leaf veins; adult insect is a reddish-brown beetle which feeds on plants at night.
Comments
Chinese rose beetles are nocturnal.
Management
Chinese rose beetles are attracted to dim light and repelled by bright light, shining bright light on plants may help deter them from feeding; covering young plants with e.g. floating row covers can help to protect plants until they are old enough to withstand attacks by the beetle.
3# Dry rot
Symptoms
Initially the lower leaves exhibit yellow tips followed by complete yellowing. As the disease progress, the upper leaves become yellow. Later the leaves become dry and whole plant appears stunted.
Infected rhizome shows brownish ring particularly at cortical region.
Comments
Favors waterlogged fields. Always occurs in patches. When comparing to soft rot the dry rot infected stem won’t come off with a gentle pull.
Management
Treating seed with Bordeaux mixture prior to planting and solarizing(letting the soil to take a sun bath) the soil can help to reduce the incidence of the disease.
4# Rhizome rot
Symptoms
Stunted plant growth; yellow leaves and stems; brown discoloration of water conducting tissue within stem; root system rotted, mushy and turning black; rotted rhizome gives off a foul odor.
Comments
Disease favors warm, moist soils; spread primarily through use of infected seed pieces which may not show any outward signs of disease.
Management
Plant ginger in well-draining soils or on hills created by tilling; do not plant any seed pieces which show symptoms of disease; seed pieces can be treated with hot water (50°C/122°F for 10 min) or appropriate fungicides prior to planting; destroy all crop debris after harvest; keep fields weed free; do not grow ginger for more than one year in same area.
5# Root-knot nematode and Burrowing nematode Nematode Meloidogyne spp.
Radopholus similis
Symptoms
Root knot nematode: Water soaked lesions on roots; Galls on roots which can be up to 3.3 cm (1 in) in diameter but are usually smaller; reduction in plant vigor; yellowing plants which wilt in hot weather.
Burrowing nematode: The appearance of small, water-soaked shallow lesions on rhizome which later turn brown. This lesion merges together and leads to rotting. Infected plants show yellow leaves with less number of shoots and necrosis of leaves.
Management
Eradication is very difficult so better choose better rhizome for planting and better soil that is not infested. Once infected can use nematicides yet complete cure is not assured.
We hope this post was helpful for you! To know about the basics of growing ginger click the bellow link
https://www.facebook.com/anybodycanfarm/videos/689689384569248/
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