2024-07-03 09:40:49
Associate Professor of the Faculty of Agronomy of the Academy of Agriculture of the Vytautas Maggiore University. Dr. According to Vytautas Liaks, “Huanglongbing” is a disease caused by bacteria, which spreads through tree tops and causes the trees to decay and then die. The disease is still elusive because it has failed to be identified, classified and treated and eradicated over the past century.
“When the yellow dragon disease, formerly known as citrus greening, began to spread in citrus plantations in South and North America, our growers were also worried. We can only worry about changes in the price of citrus fruits caused by this disease and other factors, and there is no data so far that the disease could harm fruit trees in the temperate climate zone, unless imported decorative plants of the citrus family were infected – then they should be destroyed,” says Assoc. Dr. V. Liakas.
Oranges become unfit for food
The bacteria that cause the disease are mainly transmitted by insects (citrus maggots), but can also be spread by grafting plants and spreading infected plant material. Although the disease is caused by bacteria, the disease is not spread through human contact or through the air.
According to Assoc. Dr. V. Liako, in the main orange tree growing regions in China and Brazil, the number of trees decreased by 10-30 percent due to this disease. Since there is no cure for this disease, the only way to get rid of it is to destroy the infected trees, so the costs are huge.
“This disease of citrus fruits, which has already reached a global scale, has attracted the attention of the authorities of many countries, the US government alone has spent 400 million dollars on research. US dollars. And yet no solution is found, and the disease continues to spread,” says the interviewer.
Citrus disease is a concern not only for agronomists, but also for orange juice producers. In the so-called “citrus belt” of Brazil, for example, it is believed that about 25 percent already have it. trees and the disease spreads further. For a country that occupies about 70 percent global orange juice markets and is one of the most important suppliers of oranges to Europe, this is a truly ominous indicator.
According to Mariaus Gudauskas, the manager of Eckes-Granini Baltic, the largest producer of juices, nectars and fruit drinks in Lithuania, less and less oranges are harvested in Brazil due to the weak harvests of the last few years, and now the negative impact of the “yellow dragon” disease is also contributing. Infected trees produce green, misshapen and bitter fruit, unsuitable for fresh sale or juice production.
“Major orange juice suppliers have long reported these circumstances affecting supply commitments. All the factors mentioned above lead to a huge shortage of concentrated orange juice and price changes. The tense situation requires advance planning and flexibility from us, because we produce more than one million liters of orange juice per year, for which the concentrated juice required for production is brought specifically from Brazilian suppliers. And orange juice lovers will have to adapt to the rising prices”, comments M. Gudauskas.
Lithuanian gardeners are frightened by the firefly
According to Assoc. Dr. V. Liak, our latitude also has enough hard-to-control fruit tree diseases. One of them is Erwinia amylovora (Burrill), one of the top three most dangerous diseases. This bacterium can damage many plants, including gardeners’ favorite pear, apple, quince, quince, hawthorn, dogwood, rowan, medlieva, photinia, etc.
“It is a plant pathogenic bacterium that is spread by insects (bees, aphids, wasps, flies, etc.) and migratory birds. It can be transported with planting and grafting material, used container or packaging material, with wind, rain. The disease can spread very quickly – it can affect 80-90 percent within two years. garden plants, and affected plants die within one to two years. The most sensitive to the pest are 1-4 year old seedlings,” he says.
There are other diseases that can harm cultivated gardens, but these are mainly fungal diseases, the control of which is not difficult, you just need to follow a certain horticultural culture from spring.
The interviewer notes that there is sometimes a fear of using plant protection products, but it must be remembered that nature itself has created the strongest poisons – an apple that has started to rot can be more poisonous than one sprayed with plant protection products in the spring. Later, if you don’t want to use chemicals, you can choose biological products, which have been in abundance recently.
Pests are becoming more aggressive due to a warming climate
Assoc. Dr. V. Liakas points out that pests cause more concern, for which the warming climate creates more and more favorable conditions for spreading and multiplying. Warmer temperatures extend the growing season, so pests remain active longer and produce more generations per year. Pests survive milder winters more easily, which is why larger populations are seen in the spring.
As temperatures rise, pests previously restricted by colder climates may expand their ranges into new territories. A warmer climate may encourage the spread of invasive pest species, disrupting local ecosystems. Climate change can upset the natural balance between pests and their predators – if pest predators become less adaptable, pest populations can grow out of control.
“Higher temperatures and changing rainfall can stress plants, making them more susceptible to pest infestations. In addition, higher temperatures may cause pests to appear earlier in the spring, coinciding with vulnerable plant growth stages. Higher temperatures can also speed up the metabolism of pests, so they feed more intensively and cause more damage to plants,” says Assoc. Dr. V. Liakas.
Addressing the problems associated with the spread of garden pests requires a combination of strategies, including integrated pest management, and not limited to soap or ash solutions. The interviewer advises to choose plant varieties resistant to diseases or pests, to monitor and control pest populations using environmentally friendly methods. It is also important for gardeners to have constant information about the emerging threats of the spread of pests.
2024-07-03 09:40:49