The poor cucumber plant! The list of pathogens that plague them is really long. Angular leaf spot is one of those bacterial diseases that rob us of our crops. The sight of them is really not appetizing, but at first it all starts with angular leaf spots.

Leaf spot disease is fairly easy to spot

Leaf spot disease: the symptoms

The green cucumber fruits are no longer edible when the leaf spot disease has a firm grip on the mother plant. It first spreads to the leaves and triggers changes that do not remain hidden for long:

  • at first small angular spots appear
  • yellow and slightly translucent
  • Spots get bigger and browner
  • Stains dry up and fall out
  • Bacterial slime is often visible on the underside of leaves
  • Fruits get mushy, dark spots
  • white dot in the middle of the spots secretes bacterial mucus

causes of the disease

The bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. Lachrymans causes angular leaf spot. It is usually dragged into the bed via the seed. High humidity and temperatures above 24 degrees Celsius favor the progression of the infection.

combat

Angular leaf spot disease cannot be controlled effectively. Neither home remedies nor chemicals can stop the disease. The cucumber harvest must be given up, but not without banning the pathogens from the garden as far as possible. To do this, the affected cucumber plant must be completely removed from the vegetable patch.

  • Do not compost plant residues
  • dispose of with residual waste
  • Disinfect secateurs
  • also used care tools
  • Clean clothes and shoes thoroughly

prevention

Prevention is not easy because the microscopic bacteria are difficult to identify on the seed. Look for cucumber seeds that look healthy on the outside. Pickling with warm water and garlic can also remove any adhering pathogens from the seeds.

When watering, do not wet the leaves of cucumber plants, because moisture favors this disease. Also, water in the morning so that excess moisture evaporates during the day due to the heat of the sun.

comply with crop rotation

This pathogen can survive in the soil for several years without a host plant. You should therefore not grow cucumbers in this spot for the next three years. Since all cucurbits suffer equally from this leaf spot disease, all other varieties of the family should also pause on the bed for three years.

Resistant Varieties

There are some resistant cucumber varieties on the market. If you struggle with this disease on and off, growing these strains might be the only solution. Ask for it in stores.

Category:

Vegetable garden