Next to the lemon tree, the orange tree is the most popular and abundant fruit tree within the citrus family. If the conditions are appropriate, the production of it is very numerous, so it is a tree that is really worth growing. In addition, oranges are a delicacy and are consumed in abundance throughout the world. Although hybrids have been created to further strengthen its structure, there are pests and diseases of the orange trees that can continue to affect the crop, although less frequently.
For this reason, it is of special interest for all those people who are growing orange trees, to know the most common diseases that can affect this fruit tree. In this article we will talk about them and tell how to treat them. I recommend that you continue reading if you want to grow your own oranges at home in order to protect them or save them in time from pathogens.
The most common diseases of orange trees
There are several risks for orange crops. Your fruit trees can not only be invaded by fungi, viruses and bacteria, but also by insects and parasites. It is important to know how to detect pests of orange trees in time and fight them, not only because of the damage that bugs can cause, but also because They can also transmit or facilitate the appearance of certain diseases. Among the most common pests are the following:
However, in this article we are going to focus on the diseases of orange trees. Next we will talk about the most common that appear in these fruit trees of the citrus family.
Gum
First of all we have gummosis. It is a disease characterized by appearance of a type of gum around the trunk of the tree. However, this symptom does not come alone. Apart from creating that gum, gummosis also causes the formation of a dark, triangular spot on the base of the trunk.
Although the most obvious symptoms can be seen with the naked eye in the part of the trunk, gummosis actually operates from the roots of the plant and ends up spreading until it reaches the highest areas. This expansion ends up causing some really serious damage to the structure of the tree. Among them are defoliation and cracks in the trunk. Also, the leaves turn yellow. Once this disease reaches a more advanced stage, all parts of the orange tree, including its fruits, end up exuding gummosis.
Anthracnose
We continue with other of the most common orange tree diseases: Anthracnose. How can we detect this pathology? Well, anthracnose stands out for causing some pale spots on the shell structure of the fruits. The evolution of this disease is slow, but it ends up causing the rotting of the oranges.
Usually, anthracnose begins to proliferate on rainy days, especially. The ideal environment for this disease is humid and with rather low temperatures. It should be noted that it is quite common for the first fruits to be affected by this pathology to be those found in the weakest branches of the plant. Then it goes to the rest of the vegetable.
Brown rot
Also known as citrus watery, brown rot is a very harmful disease for orange trees and feared by growers, because it causes significant damage to the structure of the plant very quickly. Brown rot appears due to the presence of a fungus belonging to the family of phytophthora.
This fungal agent directly affects the roots, causing damage that ends up alter the structure by creating gummy formations. In turn, these gummy formations negatively affect the base of the trunk through cankers. Once this disease affects the plant, it does so in a remarkable way. The plant in question presents a very evident defoliation that yellows the central nerve of the leaves.
How to cure orange tree diseases?
Now that we know a little more about the most common orange tree diseases, it's time to find out how to treat them. We must always keep in mind that well-cared for vegetables are less prone to pathologies, but not immune. Detecting in time if our plants are suffering from a disease is key to being able to save them. The sooner we know what the disease is, the sooner we can remedy it and prevent greater harm to our crops.
The treatments for orange tree diseases that we have mentioned above are the following:
- Gums: Once the orange tree is contaminated, we must scrape the surface of the trunk and then cover it with a liquid fungicide. Of course, it is essential that the composition of this liquid fungicide contains a high copper content. However, it would be best to prevent the tree from getting gummosis. For prevention, it is essential to prevent the soil around the orange tree from becoming waterlogged and plant it in a place where the soil has good drainage.
- Anthracnose: To treat anthracnose in orange trees, the best thing we can do is carry out preventive pruning before the rains begin. It will also help us eliminate those areas that we see that are damaged. If despite these measures we cannot solve the problem and the orange tree is affected by anthracnose, we can turn to chemical components to combat it.
- Brown rot: As always, it is best to try to prevent the onset of this disease. For this we can take certain measures, such as avoiding injuries to the structure of the plant, planting the tree in well-drained soil and not adding any organic matter that is decomposing near the base of the trunk. However, if the orange tree is already affected by this disease, the only option left is to treat it with a specific fungicide that acts on this type of fungus.
Well, we already know the most common diseases of orange trees and how to treat them. However, prevention is better than cure. So taking certain preventive measures such as good drainage and avoiding waterlogging is the most recommended.