Many cultivated plants to one degree or another are susceptible to infectious and fungal ailments, which almost all gardeners face. Beets in this matter are not an exception, which means that every summer resident should understand in more detail its possible diseases, methods of their manifestation and further elimination. Consider the most common options for such unpleasant phenomena.

Beet Disease

Beets are often affected by fungal diseases, but do not exclude the possibility of developing a viral infection transmitted from neighboring crops. Surely many of the following list of plant ailments are already familiar to you, but their manifestation and method of elimination during the cultivation of beets can vary significantly, so we will pay more attention to each of them.

Also learn about planting and caring for beets in open ground.

Phomosis (zonal spotting of beets)

This ailment has a fungal nature of origin and affects not only the leaves, but also the fruits of the plant. There are several types of this disease, but the most dangerous and common one is the shoot root, which, if untreated, can provoke the development of rot rot.

The main symptoms of phomosis are:

• large light brown spotting on leaves, stems or even peduncles, with pronounced zonality;
• the formation on the roots of areas resembling dry rot, but without the formation of superficial mycelium;
• the dark brown color of the fetal tissues when cut;
• rotting of affected tissues with the formation of pycnidia on the surface.

The main cause of beet infection is often the use of infected seeds and untimely cleaning of infected plant debris from the garden. Acid and dry soils are considered to be a favorable environment for the development of phomosis, especially in hot climates.

Did you know? In the XV – XVII centuries, the population of Eastern Europe and the Balkans consumed beets en masse, believing that the fruit juice would protect against plague. On Russian soil, this plant appeared in the XIV century.

As for the treatment of the disease, special fungicides (for example, "Altazol", "Alpari", "Benazol"), Bordeaux fluid (1%) are often used or unplanned top dressing with boron-containing compounds is often used for this purpose.

As preventive measures, it is possible to advise on crop rotation, the selection of resistant beet varieties for planting, the destruction of all plant debris in the autumn, good fertilizing of the site with manure and preparations containing manganese, zinc, boron, molybdenum, iron.

Cercosporosis

Another fungal disease caused by infected seed or diseased parts of other plants. Getting on beetroot leaves, the fungus multiplies quite quickly, and very soon the first signs of its activity will be noticeable.

The main symptoms of cercosporosis include:

• small gray spots on leaves with a reddish-brown border, which, over time, decrease in size and more resemble ordinary dark dots;
• the death of first large and old rosette leaves, and then smaller ones;
• twisting of leaf plates in a downward direction along the central vein;
• inter-row spacing due to wilted tops;
• deterioration in the development of root crops;
• 20–50% reduction in sugar content in fruits.

The development of cercosporosis on beets contributes to a sharp change in humidity during the growing season of the plant, which is often associated with a change in weather conditions.

We recommend reading how and where it is better to store beets in the apartment.

Among the effective drugs in the fight against the disease, Gamair, Pseudobacterin, Benomil, Alirin-B are distinguished, and soap solutions (sometimes with ashes) are referred to folk remedies, but, in truth, they are not very effective against fungal infections.

The main preventive methods are the fulfillment of crop rotation requirements and the use of uninfected seed material for planting in areas with “healthy” soil.

Powdery mildew

This ailment is known to many summer residents, because its symptoms can occur when growing a large number of different crops (for example, dill, wheat, watermelons, cabbage, zucchini, potatoes). The causative agent of the disease is a fungus from the class of Ascomycetes, which spreads excellently in dry and hot weather, especially along with infected seeds of other plants, the remains of other crops and root heads.

The main symptoms of the development of an ailment on beets are the following manifestations:

• white powdery coating on the lower and middle leaves of the rosette zone, which from small spots grows to the size of the leaf itself;
• the appearance on the plaque of brownish, and then black dots, better known as cleistothecia;
• violation of the synthesis of sugars in the leaves and the outflow of plastic substances into the root zone, as a result of which the leaves age quickly.

In the fight against the disease, such drugs as Alto Super, Abacus, Rex Duo are used, treatment with folk remedies is ineffective and can only be used as an auxiliary measure.

Among agricultural practices for prevention, compliance with crop rotation rules, deep plowing of the territory, competent and timely irrigation and plowing of the site are highlighted .

Important! Contaminated plant debris cannot be thrown away or stacked in a compost heap. Completely clean the area and prevent the spread of fungus in the future will only help the burning of leaves and other parts of diseased vegetation.

Rhizomania (beet beard)

In this case, we are talking about a viral illness caused by the virus of necrotic yellowing of the veins. The carrier of the disease is a unicellular parasite from the plasmodiophore squad, whose activity increases at high temperatures and excessive humidity. When growing beets in dry regions, the likelihood of rhizomania is much lower, but in this case it is worth knowing about the possible symptoms of its development.

First of all, they include:

• loss of gloss and elasticity of beet leaf plates;
• reduced growth rate;
• chopping fruits, with a very shortened bottom and a solid texture inside.

An asymptomatic course of the disease is also possible, in which it is possible to notice an ailment only by reducing the yield and quality of the fruit, which also becomes “bearded”.

Video: Sugar Beet Disease - Rhizomania

Infected plants can be treated with fungicidal preparations, for example, Fundazol or Benazol, but spraying the uterine fruit with Rovral gives a greater result.

To prevent the ailment, it is necessary to take care of preventive measures, with pre-planting treatment, timely destruction of plant residues and enrichment of the soil with mineral fertilizers, necessarily with bromine content.

Ramulariosis

This ailment is often confused with the above-described cercosporosis, which can be explained by the similarity of manifestations. The main difference between these diseases is the color of the spots, which is much lighter in the case of ramulariosis, almost white. In addition, one of the differences is the size of the dots: in the latter case, it is only 1–2 cm in diameter.

In general, the list of characteristic symptoms of this disease includes:

• gray-green spots on irregular-shaped leaves, which eventually turn brown and become whitish (in the middle of the spot small white dots are clearly visible);
• cracking of tissues inside the spots, with their further loss and death of the entire leaf plate;
• the spread of spots in the direction from the lower leaves to the petioles and tops;
• chopping fruits.

To prevent the further development of the disease, all infected plants must be treated with special preparations, for example, Rex Duo fungicide, and for small areas of the lesion, remove all diseased specimens with subsequent tillage.

Preventive measures are standard and include compliance with crop rotation requirements, weed control and careful selection of planting stock.

We recommend finding out why beets do not grow or grow poorly.

Peronosporosis (downy mildew)

Powdery mildew more often than other ailments affects beets, especially if plants are grown in high humidity. This fungal disease affects mainly beet tops, due to which it appears first purple plaque, and then yellow spots, rapidly growing throughout the leaf plate.

In addition, the main signs of fungal activity include:

• deformation of sheet plates;
• thickening of their tissues, fragility and rapid death of leaves;
• deformation of peduncles and the slowdown of their development.

To combat peronosporosis, the drugs Apron, Amistar, and Acrobat are used, which can also be used for the prophylactic treatment of plants. Other preventive measures, including the timely removal of affected plants, careful selection of planting material and the selection of beet varieties resistant to the disease, will not be superfluous.

Did you know? To preserve the maximum supply of nutrients in beets, it must be cooked in unpeeled form, removing the skin from an already cooked vegetable. For the same purpose, it is not recommended to remove the tail from the vegetable.

Fusarium

The causative agent of this fungal disease is called Fusarium oxysporum, F. Solani and belongs to the class of Deuteromycetes (Imperfect). It enters the root organism through the root system and gradually moves to the leaves, changing their appearance.

The main symptoms of fusarium when growing beets are:

• yellowing of leaf plates, first older and then younger (sometimes yellowness is noted only on one side);
• blackening and decay of petioles;
• blackening of the vascular bundles of the root and the appearance of a large number of additional small roots;
• clearly visible browned and dying vascular-fibrous bundles in the section of the root, inside of which there is a white-pink mycelium.

With a severe damage to the plant, it dies at the beginning of its development, although in some cases dry rot persists until the beet is harvested. In rare cases, the entire lower part of the root rot.

Effective drugs to combat this ailment do not exist, so all you can do to protect the plants is to carry out a number of preventative measures:

• clean the area from the remains of vegetation and dig the soil;
• choose only stable beet varieties for planting;
• Do not plant plants in the same place for 2-3 years;
• limit the possibility of mechanical damage to root crops;
• treat plants during the growing season with preparations of the “Kagatnik” type.

Beetroot plantings deserve special attention in the hot season, especially when grown in areas where outbreaks of the disease have already been noted and there is a risk of their recurrence. Timely elimination of already diseased copies will reduce the spread of the disease.

Important! Private plantings of beets should be placed within a radius of at least one kilometer from the mass plantings of this plant, especially if plants are grown on an industrial scale.

Rust

Unlike many other diseases, beetroot rust can be called a single-household pest, since the causative agent of the disease settles exclusively on this crop.

In its development, this fungus goes through several stages:

• spring, characterized by the appearance of orange pads on the bottom of the sheets and dark dots on the upper surface of the leaf plates;
• summer, when dusty pads of brown color appear on the entire surface of beet leaves (this is the stage that contributes to the mass spread of the disease).
  

To combat rust, various chemicals are used, among which the most effective are recognized as: “Abacus”, “Alto Super”, “Amistar Extra”.

Standard methods are used for preventive purposes : for example, the careful destruction of all possible infectious foci, the observance of crop rotation rules, and also the application of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to the soil.

We advise you to find out how and when to plant beets in the winter.

Mosaic

Mosaic - a viral ailment, manifested by a characteristic mosaic pattern on the leaves of beets. After some time, the leaf plates are deformed and die. In addition to beets, fodder beans, cabbage, spinach, sow thistle, and some other weeds, whose rhizome is an excellent refuge for the virus during the winter colds, often suffer from this disease. Bedbugs and cicadas can become carriers of the disease, so if possible it is worth destroying them in your area.

Beetroots affected by the mosaic lose their sweetness and form much less seeds, and the worst part is that effective methods of combating the disease have not yet been developed.

Jaundice

Another viral disease of beets, characteristic of plants in the first few years of life. The causative agent of the disease is a complex of Beet yellow virus strains, combined with a weak yellowing virus of Beet mild yellowing virus.

The characteristic symptoms of the manifestation of the disease are expressed in the following features:

• the lower and middle leaves of beets turn yellow first in the upper part of the leaf plate, and then along the extreme zones, between the main veins;
• necrotization of the veins is often noticeable on young leaves, although the adjacent areas for a long time retain their natural green color;
• infected leaves change shape and look shorter than healthy ones, they are no longer so smooth and are characterized by increased fragility;
• with the development of the disease, the yellow mucous mass gathers in the sieve tubes of the plant and the adjacent cells, and the membranes of the affected cells even swell slightly.
  

The rate of development and the intensity of the manifestation of the disease increases during the period of active flight of aphids, as a result of which the volume of the root crop can be reduced by 25–65%. The fight against the virus consists in timely preventive measures, including treatment against aphids: when single colonies of an insect appear, only the last plantings are treated first, and when infected, more than 5% of the total number of cultivated crops, and the entire plot. Affected plants are best torn out and burned. Learn more about how to properly water beets in open ground.

A good result in the prevention of mass beet damage is given by treatment with a wide spectrum of insecticidal preparations, among which Phosphamide can be distinguished.

Gray rot

This fungal disease affects not only beets, but also many other agricultural plants, in particular, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers and cabbage. Botritiosis (the second name for this disease) often develops during the growing season and during storage of root crops, especially if the storehouse has high temperature and high humidity.

The main manifestations of gray rot on beets differ in the following characteristics:

• brown spots of round shape appear on root crops, which eventually spread to the entire surface;
• greenish gray mold appears in the affected areas;
• Beetroot fruits become soft, and the color of the green mass fades.

Important! Most often, gray rot manifests itself during storage of the harvested beets, often striking dried, supercooled or untimely harvested beets. You can prevent the development of the disease by spraying the soil with Glyokladin fungicide and thoroughly cleaning the selected area from plant debris. It will not work to process beets during the intensive development of the disease, since its signs above the ground are almost invisible.

White rot

Sclerotinosis, it is also white rot (the causative agent of Sclerotinia libertiana Fuck) is a disease of fungal origin that affects beets, carrots and other vegetable crops, and the symptoms of this problem have many common features.

The main signs of beet infection are:

• softening the affected area and its covering with abundant mycelium, to the touch resembling cotton wool;
• compaction of the affected areas, the appearance on them first of white, and then black solid tubercles, from which brilliant droplets stand out;
• complete softening of the root crop, which is easy to notice with pressure on it.
  

The development of the ailment also occurs during storage of harvested root crops, therefore, after several months of finding the diseased and healthy crop together, the latter can become much smaller. This applies not only to the storage of beets, but also to the close placement of other root crops, primarily carrots.

As preventive measures, it is worthwhile to adhere to crop rotation rules, carefully select seeds and a plot for sowing beets. In the fight against white rot in vegetables and other crops, fungicidal preparations are often used, for example: Akanto Plus, Absolut, Alfa-Standard, Amistar-Extra, Amur, which can only be used in strictly prescribed by the manufacturer doses. You will be interested to know about the properties of beet tops.

Red rot

Красную гниль свёклы часто называют войлочной болезнью, или ризоктониозом, но возбудитель здесь только один — Rhizoctonia violacea Tul, который также поражает морковь, брюкву и другие растения с корнеплодами.

Признаки развития недуга можно заметить ещё на этапе сбора урожая:

• по всей поверхности корнеплода или в отдельных его зонах хорошо заметны подкожные пятна свинцово-серого цвета, сверху на которых просматривается красно-фиолетовая грибница;
• со временем на собранной свёкле появляется множество мелких чёрных склероций;
• поражённые ткани могут быть как мягкими, так и твёрдыми, но в конечном счёте свёкла всё равно размягчится и полностью сгниёт;
• листья растений при сильном заражении быстро вянут.

Проявлению и распространению красной гнили способствует повышенная влажность грунта и очень жаркая погода, в результате чего наблюдается парниковый эффект. В большинстве случаев такая ситуация характерна для пониженной местности, заболоченных территорий и переувлажнённых торфяников.

Чтобы ограничить распространение болезни и избежать массовой потери урожая, свёклу можно обработать фунгицидными растворами (например, «Алирином-Б» или «Гамаиром»), а в дальнейшем выбирать только качественный посадочный материал и более подходящий участок для его высадки. Никакие народные средства борьбы с недугами свёклы здесь не помогут.

Did you know? Большинство компонентов свёклы сохраняют свои полезные свойства и после термической обработки, но чтобы сберечь насыщенно яркий цвет корнеплода, хозяйкам лучше добавить в кипящую воду чайную ложку сахара или уксуса.

Чёрная ножка

Этот недуг также известен под названием корнеед и характерен не только для свёклы, но и для множества других сельскохозяйственных растений. Его возбудитель — грибы рода Pythium, Aphanomyces, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, а также некоторые другие микроорганизмы, способные долгое время выживать в заражённом грунте.

Чаще всего страдают именно ослабленные экземпляры, что в случае со свёклой заметно по следующим признакам:

• загнивание и потемнение корешка;
• пробелы в рядах с сеянцами;
• замедленный рост оставшихся саженцев;
• увядание листьев, особенно при массовом поражении посадок.
  

Причинами появления корнееда часто выступает недостаточная глубина заделки семян при посадке, тяжёлая почва, низкое качество посадочного материала и ненадлежащая предпосадочная обработка участка, с ограниченным внесением питательных веществ.

При первых признаках развития болезни насаждения опрыскивают фунгицидными препаратами (например, «Фентиурамом», «Фитоспорином», «Бактофитом») или присыпают древесной золой, нанося на поверхность земли слой толщиной всего несколько миллиметров. К народным методам борьбы с этим недугом также относят полив сеянцев содовым раствором (1 ч. ложка соды на 1 стакан холодной воды) и замачивание семян в растворе «Эпина» (1 ампула на 1 л воды).

Вам будет интересно прочитать о свойсквах свекольного сока.

Обыкновенная парша

Ещё одно грибковое заболевание, возбудителем которого в данном случае выступают микроорганизмы из рода Streptornyces.

Недуг может поражать любую часть корнеплода свёклы, но чаще всего он проявляется в следующем:

• появлении шероховатых, струпьевидных участков на корнеплодах;
• образовании тёмно-бурой корочки;
• формировании нескольких кольцевых перехватов в зоне шейки;
• замедлении роста свёклы.
  

Обычно заболевание развивается в результате тяжёлой формы корнееда и считается одной из самых тяжёлых форм парши. Развитию проблемы и её массовому распространению способствует сухая и жаркая погода, использование для удобрения недостаточно перепревшего навоза или избыточное известкование грунта.

Эффективным средством устранения проблемы является системный фунгицид «Скор», а также его аналоги «Дискор» и «Чистоцвет». Также полезно обрызгивать насаждения оксихлоридом меди, препаратами «Картоцид» и «Абига-пик». Народные способы борьбы с использованием традиционной золы или мыла не принесут должного результата.

Читайте также о сахарной свекле.

Bacterial cancer

Зобоватость корней — бактериальное заболевание (возбудитель бактерия Agrobakterium tumefacienc), которое немного реже остальных встречается на свёкле, но в то же время способно существенно снизить качество урожая.

К основным признакам бактериального рака относят:

• появление различных наростов на корневой шейке свёклы, которые в некоторых случаях превышают размеры самого корнеплода;
• гладкая поверхность новообразований;
• наличие хорошо заметной границы между наростом и корнеплодом;
• изреживание всходов;
• появление опухолей на листовых пластинах (редко).
  

Распространение патогенных микроорганизмов в вегетационный период происходит с помощью насекомых, которые проделывают ходы в теле свёклы. Их активность во многом зависит от температуры и влажности воздуха: чем выше показатели, тем быстрее распространяется недуг.

Агротехническими методами борьбы с бактериальным раком свёклы выступают соблюдение агротехнических требований, выбор только устойчивых сортов и тщательный подбор участка для посадки. Из химических препаратов для лечения зобоватости можно приобрести «Фитолавин», «Фитоплазмин» или «Фитоверм». Последний также можно использовать в профилактических целях для регуляции микрофлоры почвы.

Did you know? Рекорд по выращиванию самой тяжёлой свёклы установил голландец Пит де Гуде, который в 2006 году представил корнеплод массой 71, 050 кг.

General preventive measures

Исходя из всего вышесказанного, несложно определить основные профилактические меры, которые помогут защитить ваши свекольные насаждения практически от любых болезней.

В список основных входит:

• обязательное соблюдение правил севооборота с чередованием высаживаемых культур на одном участке (высаживать свёклу на прежней территории желательно не ранее, чем через 2–3 года после предыдущего сбора);
• обработка почвы путём внесения дезрастворов, удобрения навозом и специальными витаминно-минеральными комплексами;
• известкование грунта с использованием негашеной извести, муки или древесной золы;
• тщательный отбор и предпосевная обработка посадочного материала (перед высадкой на участке семена свёклы желательно замочить в слабом растворе марганцовки или других противомикробных смесях).
  

Конечно, болезни растений — неприятное явление для всех огородников, но если вы научитесь своевременно распознавать признаки того или иного недуга, то справиться с ним будет намного проще. Уделяйте своим грядкам побольше внимания, и они обязательно порадуют вас щедрым урожаем не только свёклы, но и других сельскохозяйственных культур.