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Onions are a crop that should be present in the garden every day. The methods for cultivating it are simple, but a large list of diseases and pests complicates its care.

At home growing onions To protect against diseases and pests, it is necessary to use technologies that do not harm human health. In the article we will talk about diseases and their treatment.

Fungal diseases of onions

Fungal diseases affect bulbs during the growing season and during storage.

Most often during storage onion may hit:

• cervical rot, it affects mainly the upper part of the onion (the tissue resembles a baked onion);
• black mold, usually spreads when poorly ripened fruits are stored at elevated temperatures and is manifested by the drying out of the upper juicy scales of large Luke and complete drying of the seeds. Sometimes the bulb becomes mummified, and a black dusty mass is visible between the shriveled scales;
• green moldy rot first appears on the outer scales and bottom of the onion in the form of brownish spots, slightly watery. Later, a bluish-green or greenish coating with a moldy smell spreads over the spots and dried out scales. Mostly gets sick frostbitten onion or stored at high humidity.

During the growing season, the following fungal diseases are common:

• peronosporosis, or false mealy dew, affects the above-ground mass of onion plantings. The disease develops in warm, humid weather and is expressed by yellowing of the tips of the feathers and the spread of pale green spots over them, turning into a grayish-purple coating;
• onion rust also affects leaves. Light yellow or rusty yellow streaks are visible on the leaves. The leaves dry out completely;
• fusarium begins with damage to the root system. The bottom softens, the roots turn pink and gradually die. Over time, brownish spots appear on the leaves. The plant completely dries out and dies.

Measures to combat fungal diseases

At home, the main measures to combat diseases are preventative. No pesticides onion, especially when cultivated for feathers, it is not recommended to process. When cultivating onions on turnips necessary:

• observe cultural rotation with the return of onion plantings to their original place after 5-6 years;
• carry out sowing at the optimal time with zoned varieties resistant to rot;
• In the spring, before planting, it is advisable to disinfect the re-dug area with a solution copper vitriol 25-30 g/10 l of water. The site should be kept free of weeds, the rows of onions should be well ventilated during the growing season;
• during the phase of mass germination, you can spray the plants with a solution Bordeaux liquids and in the phase of feather growth (10-12 cm) once with a 0.04% solution of Zineb or a 0.5% solution of copper oxychloride. It is best to protect plants from diseases with biological preparations Gliokladin, Fitosporin-M, Alirin, Gamair, which can be sprayed on plants 3-4 times during the growing season, keeping the plantings healthy. The dosage and method of application are indicated on the packaging;
• sowing should be carried out with treated planting material. Onion sets treated with hot air at a temperature of 30-35°C for 8 hours. Black onion soaked in a solution of the biological product Trichodermin. But it is best to purchase seed in a store where it is sold in processed form;
• During the growing season, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the crops and, if symptoms of the disease appear, immediately remove and destroy diseased plants.

Onion pests

Onion pests relate root mite, stem nematode, onion secretive proboscis, onion(tobacco) thrips, onion mole, onion fly and others. All of them belong to gnawing and sucking types of pests. Invading the bulb itself, they gnaw out its pulp or, settling on the leaves, suck the juice from the above-ground mass of the crop.

Pest control measures

Unlike diseases, most pests have the ability to move quickly ( onion fly, onion mole), but they need tissue and plant juices for nutrition. This is what the technology for combating the above pests is based on.

All preventive work when preparing soil and planting material is the same as when protecting against diseases. In addition, during the growing season, if necessary, you can use drugs to kill pests. But not chemical ones, but systemic biological products, such as Fitoverm, Agrovertin. They accumulate in plants and act selectively and do not harm human health. When treated with these drugs, onions can be eaten within two days.

Early detection of disease or pest infestation can prevent crop loss.

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Very often, onion leaves begin to turn yellow ahead of time. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, for example: acidic soil; lack of nitrogen, copper or potassium; the plant was frozen; excess moisture in the soil.

All these reasons can be easily eliminated and our onions will come to life and turn green again.

But onions can also turn yellow due to attack by pests, and this is more serious and not so easily remedied. Does the bow have many enemies?

Quite a lot, but the most harmful of them are: onion fly, onion hoverfly, tobacco thrips, onion secrecy, onion moth, onion root mite and stem nematode.

These damage not only directly various types of onions, but also garlic, tulips, daffodils, lilies and other decorative bulbous crops.

Each of onion pests is insidious, but often they act together and then the crop losses are enormous.

In addition, pests are carriers of many onion diseases.

Onion fly

The onion fly is perhaps the most dangerous pest of onions and is found in all regions of Russia.

Bulbs affected by the larvae of this fly cannot be saved.

The onion fly especially “loves” onions, although garlic and other types of onions are also not deprived of its attention.

Externally, this pest is very similar to a housefly, has a yellowish-grayish color and a length of 6 to 8 mm. The worm-like larvae of the onion fly are whitish in color and up to 8 mm long.

Fly pupae overwinter in areas where onions or other bulbous crops were grown, under unharvested plant debris or in the soil at a depth of approximately 10-20 cm.

In the spring, when mass flowering of dandelions and cherries begins, flies emerge from their pupae.

For some time they feed on nectar on flowering weeds, and then the female flies begin laying eggs on the soil next to the bulbs or directly on dry scales.

The larvae do not keep themselves waiting long and, after about a week, they are already attacking the growing onion bulbs.

In the lower part of the bulb they eat away a common cavity in which several dozen larvae can feed simultaneously.

Plants infected with onion fly larvae begin to turn yellow and dry out, the bulbs rot and are easily pulled out of the ground, as there are almost no roots left.

The larvae feast in the bulbs for about 20 days, and then go into the soil to pupate. Over the course of the entire summer, two generations of this pest can develop, and in warm regions even three.

Onion hoverfly

The onion hoverfly is also the most harmful insect, like the onion fly.

In addition to various types of onions, garlic and decorative bulbous crops (it especially prefers gladioli, tulips and daffodils), the hoverfly can even harm tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and beets.

True, unlike the onion fly, it is not widespread throughout Russia. Eastern Siberia and the Far East are free from this pest.

The adult hoverfly is larger than the onion fly and reaches a length of 10 mm and has a greenish-bronze tint. The larvae of the onion hoverfly are worm-like, greenish-gray in color, and the entire body is covered with short spines.

They can overwinter both in bulbs that remain in the ground after harvesting, and in bulbs stored for storage.

The larvae pupate in the spring, and in early summer the mass flight of adult hoverflies begins. They begin laying eggs between the dry scales of the bulbs and after a week new larvae appear.

During the summer, two generations of hoverflies usually have time to develop. Bulbs affected by this pest rot and quickly decompose due to fungal and bacterial infections.

Thrips

These tiny (no more than 1 mm in length) insects are extremely difficult to notice, so we often pay attention to them only when thrips are already on our plants in sufficiently large numbers.

They infect plants both indoors and outdoors. By sucking the juice from the leaves and inflorescences of onions, thrips prevent the plant from developing normally.

First, whitish spots appear on the leaves, then the leaves become distorted, turn yellow and eventually dry out.

Female thrips remain for the winter in the soil and in plant debris at a depth of 5-7 cm, in greenhouses, hotbeds and in onion storage facilities under dry scales.

They fly out in early spring and initially settle on weeds, then move to vegetable crops.

Females lay eggs under the skin of the leaf and after about a week the larvae appear.

They feed regularly for 8-10 days and go into the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm, and after 4-8 days a new generation of thrips attacks our plants.

During a season, up to 3-6 generations of thrips can develop, and in greenhouses even more - 6-8 generations.

Thrips that end up in storage reproduce throughout the winter. Under the dry scales, the surface of the bulb becomes wrinkled, sticky, and spotted.

Thrips harm not only onions, but also cultivated plants, like: cucumbers, melons, eggplant, garlic, cabbage, radishes, parsley, flowers and many others.

Onion sneaker

The onion stalker also leaves whitish stripes on onion leaves.

This is a small bug, only 2-3 mm long, black in color with whitish scales on the body and a proboscis bent down.

Appearing after wintering (late April - early May), the secretive proboscis feeds on sprouted old bulbs that remain unharvested or on perennial onions. Then they move on to new onion plantings.

Female beetles gnaw small holes in the leaves and lay eggs, from which yellowish larvae hatch after 7-14 days (depending on the weather).

They diligently begin to eat the inner juicy pulp of the leaves without touching the outer shell.

As a result of such damage, the leaves begin to turn yellow at the top, curl and dry out prematurely.

Onion moth

Onion moth primarily plagues all types of onions and garlic, but sometimes it can also be seen on ornamental lilies.

Most of its activity occurs in warm, dry weather. The larvae of this small butterfly burrow into leaf tissue and eat them from the inside, leaving the skin intact.

The leaves first wither and then dry out completely.

Trying to find food for themselves, onion moth larvae even climb into inflorescences, and through the neck of the bulb and into it.

Over the summer, onion moths are capable of producing 3-4 generations of their own kind. The first generation begins to harm our plantings already in May-June.

The front wings of this butterfly have a span of approximately 1.5 cm and are brown in color with white specks.

They overwinter mainly on the soil under plant debris.

Onion root mite

This pest damages a lot of plants, primarily bulbs of onions, garlic, tulips, daffodils, and other bulbous plants, as well as corms of gladioli, root tubers of dahlias and many other crops.

First of all, the onion mite settles in damaged or diseased plants. The mite is moisture-loving and in humid, warm (26-28ºС) storage conditions it develops very rapidly in just 10 days.

The female mite has a broad oval, whitish vitreous body, only about 1 mm long, with brown legs and mouthparts. She can lay from 350 to 800 eggs.

The mite penetrates the bulb through the bottom and, when feeding, wears it down so much that the bottom turns into dust.

They also damage the primordia of peduncles and leaves, thereby greatly reducing the quality of planting material.

By planting mite-infested bulbs in the garden bed, we facilitate its further spread to undamaged plants.

And it is very difficult to notice these tiny pests, unless, of course, they have already done much damage planting material.

Onion root mite spreads with the remains of damaged plants, soil and equipment.

Stem nematode

This small (only 1-1.5 mm) worm-like pest causes gardeners a lot of trouble.

Stem nematode can reproduce on many types of ornamental and vegetable plants, damages almost all bulbous crops.

The nematode penetrates the plant and lays eggs in it. It is very difficult to fight it, since in our areas it can, being in a state of suspended animation, live without feeding for several years.

Carefully monitor the planting of onions and garlic, and if you see that the leaves begin to lighten, curl, or swelling appears on the lower part of the leaves, then you need to take urgent action.

With further proliferation of the pest, the bulbs in the ground begin to rot, and the above-ground part of the plant dries out.

The nematode overwinters on plant debris of onion crops, but quite a significant part of it ends up on the bulbs and in storage.

How to control pests

Our main task is to prevent pests from entering onion plantings, since it is very, very difficult to cure plants affected by larvae, as I wrote above.

We will defend ourselves with all possible methods: agrotechnical, mechanical, and chemical.

So what can we do:

Agrotechnical methods

1. Immediately after harvesting, we very carefully remove all plant debris.

2. Be sure to dig up these areas in the fall and thereby destroy the wintering areas of pests.

3. Try not to grow onion crops in the same area for several years, as in this case the number of pests in this place will increase from year to year.

4. It is advisable to plant onions and other bulbous crops as early as possible, this will allow young plants to become sufficiently strong by the time pests appear.

5. Timely liming of the soil will help in the fight against stem nematode.

6. In those areas where onion or garlic has been damaged by a stem nematode, it will be possible to plant bulbous crops again no earlier than after 4-5 years.

7. During the period of mass pupation of onion larvae, we more often loosen the rows, followed by watering and fertilizing, and also remove damaged leaves and destroy them.

8. It is necessary to select seed material more carefully.

Mechanical methods

1.To prevent onion flies and hoverflies from laying eggs on plants, you can cover the plantings with any covering material.

2.The same effect can be achieved by mulching. It is good to use peat chips for mulching. All flies, and onion flies are no exception, avoid peaty soils.

3.You can cover the onion plantings with spruce paws, which initially protect them from the cold. When leaves appear on the surface of the ground, the branches are removed, and the fallen needles will perfectly protect the plants from the onion fly.

4.During the summer, regularly remove and destroy affected plants, and do not forget to weed.

5. Before storing onions, dry them thoroughly, sort them, and then regularly remove diseased onions during storage.

Traditional methods

Tireless amateur gardeners use various methods of controlling onion pests in their plots and never cease to amaze with their ingenuity.

Here are some tips I found in the literature:

1. Use ordinary table salt. When the onion leaves become slightly higher than 5 cm, you need to start watering the onions with a salty solution. The solution is this: about 150 g of salt per bucket of water. Stir well and very carefully, trying not to get it on the leaves or the ground around, pour the solution strictly under each bulb. After this, it is advisable, just in case, to wash off the salty droplets that have fallen on the plant with clean water from a watering can. Then, after three hours, water the onion rows with clean water. After 10-14 days, if the threat of onion damage persists, you can repeat the treatment, increasing the dose of salt to 200 g.

2. Salt can also be used to combat onion flies in this way: soak the onion sets for 2 hours before planting in a fairly strong salt solution. Then we thoroughly wash the onion sets several times in clean water and leave them wet overnight, and in the morning we plant them in the beds.

3. Many summer residents sprinkle various repellents along the rows, for example: tobacco dust, as in pure form, and mixed with ash; fluff lime; naphthalene mixed with sand. And due to the fact that odors quickly disappear, it is necessary to sprinkle the plantings every week.

4. Another recipe for a repellent: take 100 g of wood ash, one tablespoon of tobacco dust and one teaspoon of ground pepper, mix and treat the soil around the bulbs. This amount of mixture is used to process 1 square meter.

5. The following infusion has proven itself well: pour 200 g of tobacco dust (shag) with 2-3 liters of hot water, mix and leave to infuse. After 3 days, add water to the infusion, bringing the volume of the infusion to 10 liters, add 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and 1 teaspoon of ground pepper (black or red). We filter the resulting solution and spray both the plants themselves and the soil around them.

6. But Tatyana Alekseevna from Novosibirsk is saved from the onion fly with the help of birch tar, which can be bought both at the pharmacy and in gardening stores. To do this, take a small container and dilute the clay in it to the consistency of liquid sour cream, then add 2-3 teaspoons of tar. When planting, dip the bottom of each bulb in this mixture. We carry out the second treatment with tar when feeding onions, adding 2 teaspoons of tar to a bucket with fertilizing.

7. As a preventive measure against onion flies, you can dust the plantings of onions and other bulbous crops with the following vigorous mixture: ash and carefully pureed carrot seeds. They say very effective remedy.

8. And, of course, do not forget to plant our helpers such as low-growing marigolds next to the bulbous plants, which not only repel the onion fly, but also do not allow nematodes to reproduce.

9. For the prevention of stem nematodes, heat treatment of planting material is very important, which must be carried out for quite a long time (4-6 hours), and at sufficiently high temperature(42-45ºС).

Chemical methods

Use insecticides only in exceptional cases when the number of pests is already very large and it is no longer possible to cope with them in other ways.

1. You can use the following approved drugs: Medvetox, Zemlin (3 g per sq. m), Fly eater (5 g per sq. m). These preparations are applied to the surface of the soil and then loosened.

3. Spraying with Iskra DE (1 tablet per 10 liters of water) or fitoverm helps well against tobacco thrips.

4. At the first detection of plant damage by thrips, you can spray with an infusion of yarrow or some other insecticidal plant.

5. Keep in mind that thrips quickly develop resistance to chemicals, so you need to alternate them. This fully applies to insecticidal plants.

Before using any insecticides, carefully read the instructions for them and strictly follow the recommendations.

If you grow onions for feather use, it is strictly not recommended.

Therefore, I advise you to plant such onions separately from the main onion plantings on turnips.

Well, dear gardeners, we already know quite a lot about onions: how to grow onions and; got acquainted with one of the perennial onions (); We found out what lies in wait for onions during the growing season and storage. Now we have encountered onion pests.

We will talk about the large onion family more than once, since each type of onion is worthy of our attention.

See you soon, dear readers!

08.07.2017 9 582

Onion diseases and treatment - how to fight quickly and effectively?

Onion root mite
Onion root mite in the photo

Onion root mite universally damages onions in open and protected ground and storage areas. Mites predominantly inhabit damaged or diseased plants. In the affected bulbs, the outer surface of the succulent scales is covered with brownish dust, the bottom along the edges is thinned, and subsequently falls off, and roots do not form.

These pests are hardly noticeable in onion beds, since the mites are very small (0.5-1 mm). They penetrate the bulbs through the bottom. They spread with the remains of damaged plants, soil, and equipment.

Onion sneaker on a bow
Onion secretive proboscis in the photo

Western bowtail- the larvae of the pest gnaw out longitudinal whitish passages in the pulp of the leaves, which are visible through the skin. The larvae, up to 7 mm long, are yellowish, legless, with a brown head. As adults, they leave the leaves and go into the soil. At the end of July, black beetles appear, which feed on onion leaves before harvesting and overwinter under plant debris, lumps of soil, and stones.

In spring, at an air temperature of +8...+10°C, beetles begin to additionally feed on the leaves of young onions.

Onion moth on onion
Onion moth in the photo

Onion moth causes significant damage to onions, leeks and garlic in warm, dry weather. Damaged leaves, starting from the tops, turn yellow and dry out. Light longitudinal spots are visible on them - mines. Caterpillars penetrate into unopened onion inflorescences and eat away the flower rudiments there. During flowering, the pedicels are gnawed.

As you can see in the photo, the caterpillars of this onion pest reach up to 1 cm in length, and the butterflies have a wingspan of up to 1.5 cm:

Caterpillars on a bow
Butterflies in the photo

Butterflies overwinter in various secluded places and plant debris, and in the spring at the end of April - May they begin to fly.

Onion fly on onion
Fly treatment in the photo

Onion fly poses a danger to onions, leeks, garlic and other onion crops. Damaged plants are stunted in growth, their leaves wither, acquire a yellowish-gray tint, and then dry out. Damaged bulbs become soft, rot, and emit an unpleasant odor.

White larvae up to 1 cm long, which develop for about three weeks, are harmful. They then pupate in the soil near damaged plants.

In the southern region, the onion fly has two generations. Flies of the first generation fly during the lilac flowering period, the second - in July. They overwinter as a pupa in the soil at a depth of 5-8 cm.

Onion hoverfly on a bow
Onion hoverfly in the photo

Onion hoverfly especially harmful to weakened plants of various types of onions. Affected plants are stunted, the tops of the leaves turn yellow and wither. The bulbs become soft, rot and emit an unpleasant odor.

The larvae of the pest are quite large, up to 1 cm. They turn into pupae in the soil near damaged plants.

Hoverflies fly at the end of May - June during the flowering of rose hips. They lay eggs on or near the bulbs in the soil. The hatched larvae penetrate the bulbs and feed there for about a month. The pest overwinters in the bulb itself.

Onion stem nematode on onions
Onion stem nematode in the photo

Onion stem nematode affects onions and garlic during the growing season and storage. Infected seedlings grow slowly, the first leaf is swollen and curved. If the damage is severe, the plants die. Grayish spots appear on the surface of infected bulbs, the internal scales become loose, soft, and unevenly thickened. Cavities form between the scales, and the bulb feels soft to the touch. The outer scales, and sometimes the bottom, crack; in the fall, such bulbs are without roots. Gray spots are visible near the cracks - clusters of nematodes.

Nematodes overwinter in bulbs, remains of leaves and scales, and seeds. They remain viable in dry scales for up to five years.

Diseases when growing onions: photos and descriptions of fungal diseases

Downy mildew on onions
Downy mildew in the photo

Neck rot on onions
Cervical rot in the photo

Cervical rot- the most harmful disease of onions during storage. Its development begins in the garden bed. In the second half of summer, when the onion leaves wither and lie down, the fungus penetrates the neck of the bulb. Its tissues soften and a dent forms. 1-2 months after harvesting, rot covers the entire bulb, it becomes watery, acquires a yellow-pink tint, and emits an unpleasant odor.

With this onion disease, the affected scales become covered with a smoky-gray coating of the fungus:

Neck rot on onions
Cervical rot in the photo

The bulb dries out, leaving only dry scales. During storage, rot spreads from diseased bulbs to healthy ones. In this case, the lesion begins on the side or bottom of the bulb.

Varieties with dark-colored scales have a shorter growing season, faster ripening, and are more resistant to this disease.

Rust on the bow
Onion rust in the photo

Rust affects onions, leeks, and garlic. In the spring, orange, later reddish-yellow, powdery small “warts” form on the leaves of the onion, which turn black in the summer. With severe development of the disease, the leaves dry out early and the bulbs become smaller. The pathogen overwinters on plant debris, as well as on perennial onions.

Green moldy rot on onions
Green moldy rot in the photo

Green moldy rot often found on onions during storage. Initially, brown watery spots appear on the bottom or outer scales of the bulbs. A whitish, then green or bluish-green coating forms on the spots and under dry scales. The causative agent of this fungal disease of onions persists in the soil on plant debris, as well as in places where crops are stored. The development of rot during storage is promoted by increased air humidity, as well as freezing of the bulbs.

Diseases and pests of onions
Diseases and pests in the photo

Below you will learn how to protect onions from pests and diseases.

Protecting onion plantings from diseases and pests

• use healthy planting material;
• plant zoned varieties that exhibit the greatest resistance to pests and diseases;
• strictly observe crop rotation. Return the onions to their original bed no earlier than after 3-4 years.
• To prevent onion diseases, you need to remember that the best predecessors for these crops are potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage, parsnips, celery, turnips, and radishes.
• Before sowing, heat the seeds (scald them with running boiling water through a sieve), heat the seeds for 2-3 days at a temperature of +30...+35°C or for 20-25 days at +25°C.
• To treat onions from diseases and protect against pests, it is necessary to add “Bazudin”, “Zemlin” or “Pochin” to the soil during planting or with fertilizing.
• When growing onions for turnips, when the first signs of downy mildew appear, spray with Profit Gold. Repeat the treatment after 12-15 days;
• Spray seed plantings of onions against pests (secret proboscis moth) with one of the insecticides recommended for protecting cabbage;
• during the growing season, carry out all agrotechnical measures (watering, fertilizing, weeding, loosening, etc.).
• To protect against onion diseases and pests, timely harvesting of ripened onions is necessary. Overexposed in the garden beds does not store well;
• Before storing, sort through and discard bulbs with mechanical damage and signs of damage by pests and diseases; dry well. Observe optimal storage conditions;
• Carefully remove all plant debris from the garden bed and destroy severely affected bulbs. Rejected ones should be used first.

Onions - no garden can do without this crop. Growing it is a pleasure. There is no need to worry about the germination of seeds, tremble over seedlings, pick, pinch, or create special conditions for growth. The norms of onion agricultural technology are simple and understandable. The even rows of plantings are pleasing to the eye. Prepared soil, timely fertilizing, weeding combined with loosening the soil, adequate watering and a little sun - and now strong golden bulbs are peeking out of the soil with curiosity, it’s time to harvest. But to obtain healthy and large bulbs, it is necessary to monitor their health and protect the plant throughout the growing season. Diseases onions and the fight against them - every gardener should know this.

This plant, which spreads healing phytoncides around in the garden and serves as a source of healthy food on our table, is affected by many pests and diseases.

Timely warning and getting rid of them will help you grow excellent onions without problems.

If diseases affecting the plant are not treated promptly, this will affect the quality of the bulbs - they will grow small, begin to rot, and will not be stored well.

Most often, onions are affected by fungal infections, viruses and pests, which can attack both the aboveground part - green feathers, and the underground part - the roots of the developing bulb.

It is difficult to notice the problem, especially if it is hidden underground, at the initial stage. But onions are a “smart” plant. It will signal an unhealthy condition by yellowing or lodging of the feather and other signs, thanks to which an experienced gardener will be able to determine the cause of the disease.

At the initial stage of the disease it is much easier to treat. And you need to get rid of pests when they have not yet ruined most of the plantings. Each disease or type of pest has its own signs by which they can be detected.

Onions are sick due to the fact that the rules of agricultural technology are not followed. A plant not grown according to the rules is weakened and cannot protect itself from the effects of fungi attacking it. Fungal and viral infections on garden crops are different - there are about 50 varieties. They can attack onion plants, both in greenhouse soil and when grown in the garden.

Frequent diseases of onions:

• Powdery mildew;
• Gray (neck) rot;
• Yellow dwarfism;
• Mosaic;
• Rust;
• Fusarium.

Powdery mildew

If onion diseases are ranked by severity, the first of them can be powdery mildew. Downy mildew on onion feathers is considered the most serious lesion. The following types of onions are especially susceptible to downy mildew:

• batun;
• slime;
• onion.

If the summer is rainy and the humidity stays at around 80% for a long time, infection of onion plantings with powdery mildew is almost guaranteed.

The first sign of powdery mildew is a dirty yellow coating on the feathers of the onion. To prevent infection, it is necessary to disinfect all bacteria living in the soil and seeds.

If you have looked at the beginning of the disease, and it has entered the main phase, affecting more than half of the onion plantings, there is nothing left to do but use fungicides.

The following drugs are used for treatment, according to the instructions:

• Fitosporin;
• Baktofit;
• Planzir;
• Phytocid M;
• Trichodermin;
• Alirin B.

If signs are detected at the initial stage, you can try to make do with folk remedies and countermeasures.

1. Stop watering and do not feed for a while.
2. Remove the formed bulbs from the soil and send them to dry.
3. Remove unformed ones affected by fungus.
4. Treat all plantings with garlic decoction.

To prepare the decoction, the unpeeled heads, weighing 600 g, are crushed and immersed in a ten-liter container filled with hot water. Next, you need to boil everything over low heat for about three hours. Dilute the resulting concentrated broth in half with water and water the soil on the onion plantings weekly.

Gray rot

This fungal disease affects the neck of the onion head and the near-neck scales. Penetration of the disease into the plant occurs through the soil. Gray rot spreads quite quickly, especially in rainy weather and mechanical damage to the bulbs, as well as when they are simultaneously attacked by pests.

The main period of mass destruction of bulbs by the gray rot fungus is pre-harvest. As a result, the bulbs lose their shelf life and rot in storage.

To prevent rot from affecting the onion crop, in the second half of the growing season it is necessary to begin spraying the soil with triazole fungicides that destroy fungal spores.

Onion rust

It belongs to fungal diseases and quickly spreads throughout the entire planting area.

TO characteristic features include damage to leaves on which yellow-brown spots form. It spreads throughout the entire leaf, then the leaf dies.

The disease can be controlled by regular spraying with fungicides. Also, during the period of mass growth, spraying with the preparation “HOM” (contains copper oxychloride) is carried out. 40 grams of the drug are dissolved in 10 liters of water. A week later, the treatment is repeated with the same composition.

To help the solution settle better on the leaves and form a protective film, add a few tablespoons of liquid non-perfumed soap to it. Treated leaves should not be eaten.

Fusarium

This fungal disease characteristic not only of garden plants, but also of bulbous flowers. Manifests itself with the following symptoms:

To protect onions from fusarium, it is necessary to treat the soil, seed material and timely removal of diseased plants.

1. Onion sets are treated for 20 minutes, immediately before planting, with a 3% suspension of TMTD fungicide (full immersion).
2. The soil can be treated with the fungicidal agent Quadris, which will simultaneously protect it from gray rot and powdery mildew.
3. From folk remedies for prevention or in the initial stages of the disease (the tips of the onion feathers turn yellow), an ash infusion or decoction of horsetail is used.

Yellow dwarfism

It is a common viral disease that is difficult to treat, so preventative measures are the most effective.

When infected, plants are significantly retarded in growth, then growth and development stops completely, the feathers turn yellow, and bulbs do not form.

The virus is spread by aphids, which are the main carrier of the disease. Therefore, yellow dwarfism is directly related to the presence of pests on the onion, which must be gotten rid of in time.

To prevent yellow dwarf from destroying the crop, it is necessary to sow healthy planting material, carefully sorting out all deformed and unhealthy-looking onion bulbs, and fight aphids on onions using insecticides.

Mosaic

Often, the mosaic virus infects onions in parallel with the yellow dwarf virus, since aphids are also its carrier. Also spreaders can be mites and nematodes.

When affected by mosaic, the leaves and stems are the first to suffer. They become deformed and acquire a mosaic color. Then the disease goes into the bulb, which becomes unfit for consumption.

It is useless to treat plants against viral diseases. Diseases can only be prevented by sowing healthy seeds and destroying all onion pests in a timely manner.

Onion pests

Many of the onion pests are directly related to its diseases, since they are active carriers of fungal spores or viruses, spreading them throughout all plantings.

Onion fly

One of the most malicious pests, which, along with the onion moth, destroys the crop, penetrating the bulbs at the larval stage.

The plant stops growing, turns yellow and withers. The larvae chew the bulbs from the inside. If there are a lot of pests, there is every chance that there will be no onions left at all.

Insecticides can be used against pests, but it is not advisable. You should especially not use chemicals at the onion ripening stage, and it is at this stage that onion plants are most affected by pests. Therefore, for food safety, it is better to use folk remedies.

You will need products that have a strong smell to repel the fly and its “colleague” the moth.

Ammonia

Ammonia is a very effective remedy that will repel pests for a long time. Dissolve 3 spoons in 10 liters of water. Gently water the plants with this solution. Do not pour on the leaves or even accidentally get on them. Repeat in a week.

Ammonia

Another strong-smelling drug, from which it is necessary to prepare a solution in the same proportion as when using ammonia. After watering with an ammonia solution, it is recommended to spill the bulbs with clean warm water.

Saline solution

If the strong aromas of ammonia and ammonia make you uncomfortable, treat the onions with a saline solution. Dissolve 300 g of table salt well in 10 liters of water. This composition can be watered simultaneously on the feather, onion and soil. Do not carry out more than three treatments with an interval of 10 days, otherwise the soil will become salty.

To ensure that no diseases threaten your onions, you must follow agricultural practices and carefully prepare for sowing. Prepare and disinfect the soil, use healthy planting material and further process it before sowing. When caring, do not go to extremes, do not overwater the plantings or overdry them. Fertilize in a timely manner in recommended doses. And the main thing is to treat plants with attention. Notice the slightest signs of pathological changes that first appear on the leaves. As soon as a plant signals a problem, it needs to be protected. And then the harvest will be generous.