Diseases and pests of currants: we recognize, treat, prevent

Currant is one of the most beloved crops of gardeners; it can be found in almost any personal plot at all latitudes of our country. And it's not just the taste of the berries and the benefits of this plant. Currants are unpretentious in care and at the same time are quite fruitful. But sometimes we notice that something is wrong with the leaves, berries and branches, the bush is clearly not feeling well, it weakens significantly and even dies over time. It turns out that such problems are not uncommon, and they need to be solved very quickly.

Diseases characteristic of currants

If you decide to grow black and red currants on the site, and have planted several bushes, you need to be ready to care for the plant in spring, before the buds have begun to bloom. But the main signs of infection can only be seen when full leaves appear. You need to observe both old branches and new shoots. The gardener should be aware of the following visible damage:

• brown spots 2-3 mm in diameter on leaves or berries that turn white over time;
• yellowing of leaves long before the onset of autumn;
• the appearance of convex red spots on the leaf plate;
• white or brown bloom on leaves and fruits;
• drying out of the bush;
• premature fall of leaves.

Each of these signs is indicative of a specific medical condition that you can diagnose. Please note that some diseases are characteristic only of black currants, others affect mainly red and white.

Diseased currant leaves turn yellow, lose their shape, become stained and dry out

Currant anthracnose

Anthracnose belongs to fungal diseases, its causative agent is the fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare. It is usually detected in the summer, most often in July, and the initial signs of infection are:

• the formation of brown and red spots on the leaves up to 1 mm in size in the form of tubercles;
• an increase in these spots up to the defeat of the entire leaf;
• drying and falling of affected leaves.

  

  The causative agent of currant anthracnose is a fungus

The disease can affect any kind of currant, but it is especially typical for red. It is especially dangerous during rainy periods when the mushroom becomes more active. The pathogen is almost immune to low temperatures, so it can easily survive the winter on the remains of leaves and branches.

Powdery mildew

The culprit of the defeat is the Erysiphales marsupial mushroom. The disease is considered rare, manifests itself closer to the middle of summer and destroys all parts of the weakened plant - leaves, new shoots, ovaries and even ripening berries. Symptoms of defeat:

• white bloom appears on new shoots and leaf plates;
• after a while, the plaque turns brown, thickens, becoming felt to the touch;
• the affected shoots are deformed, dry out and die off;
• the plaque spreads to the berries, which crumble without ripening.

Powdery mildew can kill an entire currant bush

Rust

The disease often manifests itself from early spring to autumn. There are 2 types of rust affecting currants.

1. Goblet rust is characterized by the appearance on the leaf plates of large yellow or orange pads - capsules with spores. It gets on garden plants from sedges with the help of the wind.
2. Columnar rust is indicated by small yellow dots on the upper side of the leaf plate. From the inside of the leaf, in these areas, there are yellow-red growths containing spores of the fungus. Over time, they become hair-like. At the end of the season, the bottom is covered with thick felt. The disease enters garden crops from nearby conifers.

   

   Currants can be struck by goblet and columnar rust.

Reverse (terry black currant)

The disease is caused by a virus, transfers it to the bush of a kidney mite. The virus causes mutations in the primary form and plant sterility.

Terry leaves - a viral disease leading to plant infertility

The defeat is detected by the following signs:

• leaves change shape, lengthen, acquire sharp teeth and lose symmetry;
• leaf plates become three-bladed (the usual form has 5 blades);
• color from green to purple-violet;
• the number of veins on the leaf decreases;
• flowers lengthen, their petals become thin;
• the bush loses its characteristic aroma and ceases to bear fruit.

The disease usually manifests itself with the flowering of the culture.

Nectric drying of shoots

The lesion occurs due to the influence of the marsupial fungus Nectria ribis. It causes drying and subsequent death of branches. It is characteristic only for white and red currants. The symptoms of infection are as follows:

• young shoots and old branches are covered with red dots, which grow rather quickly and become voluminous brown tubercles;
• later, the formations turn black (this indicates the maturation of the spores);
• new shoots are bent and die.

  

  Nectric drying affects white and red currants

Striped mosaic

The disease mainly affects black currants. You can find its symptoms in early summer: yellow-orange patterns appear around the veins on the leaves.

Curly currant leaves

The most common cause of plant disease is the defeat of the Tafrin fungus or virus. But in currants of all types, the causative agent of curl is mainly aphids.

Due to curliness, currant leaves are strongly deformed and die

The disease can be detected by the following signs:

• the leaf plate grows unevenly, thickens in places;
• leaves take a convex-concave or wavy shape, bubble-like swellings form on them;
• over time, the leaves begin to turn red, they can dry out and fall off prematurely.

White leaf spot (septoria)

The disease is more common in black currants, but can affect red and white. It is distributed in the summer.

White spot lesion begins with the appearance of brown spots on the leaves.

Symptoms of defeat:

• leaves are covered with small rounded and angular formations 2–3 mm in size, brown;
• after a while, the spots turn white, a brown border appears (the period of maturation of mushroom spores begins);
• spots begin to appear on the berries;
• the affected leaf plates fall off.

Ways to combat common currant diseases

If you notice any of the symptoms described, immediately take up the treatment of the bushes. Some diseases may not cause significant harm to the plant, but there are those that will destroy all the currants on the site, and easily spread to other fruit and berry crops.

Table: currant diseases, ways to deal with them

Insect pests of currants and methods of dealing with them

In addition to diseases, various insects can significantly harm currant bushes. Many of them, by the way, are carriers of viruses and infections - causative agents of serious diseases. Therefore, controlling insect pests is extremely important for every gardener caring for their plants.

Gooseberry pale-footed sawfly

If you see that the leaves on the bushes of white and red currants are eaten almost to the veins, rest assured: this is the case of the pale-footed sawfly caterpillars. The larvae of this insect reach a length of 1 cm. They survive the winter in the ground at a depth of about 15 cm, wrapped in dense cocoons of cobwebs. In the spring, the larvae pupate and turn into butterflies just in time for the leaves to blossom. Adult insects begin to reproduce, laying eggs (up to 150 pieces from one individual!) Along the veins on the inner side of the leaf. After 10 days, larvae hatch - green larvae with a brown head and 10 pairs of legs. It is they who are taken for eating the leaves.

In one season, the pale-footed sawfly gives 2–3 generations.

Sawfly caterpillars are able to gnaw all leaves to veins

Dig up the soil under the bushes every fall to avoid the insect. This will not destroy the cocoons, but it will move them deeper, making it much more difficult for butterflies to come to the surface in the spring. In addition, you will have to manually shake off the larvae from the bushes throughout the spring and summer. Be sure to cover with newspaper or cloth to keep the larvae out of the soil.

Insecticides, for example, Spark, will help get rid of the sawfly. The first spraying should be done before flowering, the second after it, and the third after harvesting. So you can destroy all generations of the pest.

Biennial leaflet

Damage to plants is caused not by the leafworm butterfly itself, but by its caterpillars. They feed mainly on buds and berries, and not only all types of currants, but also grapes, buckthorn, viburnum. Therefore, you should not place these plants in the garden close to each other.

It is difficult to find pupae of this insect: they wait out the winter in cracks in the bark, under roots, among dead leaves. Butterflies fly out towards the end of spring and lay eggs on currants, in particular, its young shoots, buds, pedicels.

Insecticides will help get rid of the leafworm and its caterpillars

If you notice a cobweb entangling them on the buds of currants, it means that caterpillars have already appeared and began to pupate inside. Each individual damages about 30 buds. Less than 2 months is enough for the second generation of butterflies to appear. They will lay their eggs in the formed berries.

To destroy the leafworm, spray the bushes with insecticides according to the instructions. Such drugs as Chlorophos, Actellik, Gardona, Phosphamide, Antio, Ripkord have proven themselves well. The first treatment should be carried out when butterflies fly out, the second - when caterpillars appear massively.

Fire

One of the most common pests of currants is firewood. Its caterpillars eat berries, entangling them with cobwebs. Because of this effect, the fruits ripen ahead of time and dry quickly.

You can recognize fire butterflies by the color of their wings: the front ones are dark, with brown spots and a brownish transverse stripe, and the back ones are light. These insects appear in spring and lay eggs on flowers. Caterpillars hatch already with the appearance of ovaries, envelop them with cobwebs. Each individual is capable of damaging up to 15 berries. With the end of summer, the caterpillars hide in the soil, where, having pupated, they survive the winter.

Fire butterflies lay eggs on flowers in spring

To get rid of the flames, regularly check the bushes for spider nests. Anything you find, immediately shoot and destroy. After flowering ends, spray the currants with Karbofos or Aktellik. If the currant was hit by a fire last year, it will be advisable to process it before flowering.

Firecracker caterpillars pose a great danger to currants.

In late autumn, remove all leaves and dry grass from the plantings of currants, dig up the soil. You can also spud each bush and mulch the ground with a layer of peat or compost 8 cm high. Do not thicken the plantings, remove the shoots in time.

It is recommended to combine the destruction of firewood with the treatment of bushes against anthracnose.

Spider mite

Spreading along the lower surface of currant leaves, the mite covers them with cobwebs and sucks juices from them. This causes yellowing and early death of the leaves. First, the leaf plate is covered with light dots, then the affected areas are discolored. The defeat of a spider mite leads to a significant decrease in yield and winter hardiness of the crop.

To rid the currants from the spider mite, in early spring, when the buds are just beginning to bloom, treat the bushes with Karbofos, Akartan, colloidal sulfur, Metaphos. If the bush is already heavily affected, spray it again shortly before flowering. If you find yellowed curled leaves, carry out additional processing.

Note that it is recommended that you alternate treatments as ticks can develop immunity to acaricides.

Be sure to collect and destroy dead leaves and dry grass under the bushes, carefully dig up the soil. All this will significantly reduce the insect population. Since this pest is very fond of heat, in hot dry weather, spray or even water the currant bushes with water on top.

Currant kidney mite

As the name suggests, this insect settles in currant buds, which are the insect's staple food. Affected kidneys become swollen and rounded. You will see them after the leaves fall. The leaves that appear from them in the spring of next year are irregular in shape, pale in color and small in size.

Birds and insects often carry ticks. Even the wind contributes to the spread. In addition to causing harm, the tick is a carrier of diseases, for example, terry.

Under the influence of a kidney mite, currant buds are deformed

In order to prevent the spread of ticks in the area, carefully consider the currant bushes. All affected buds must be plucked out, branches must be cut off and destroyed.

When a white bloom appears on old buds (this indicates that the mites are coming out), treat the bushes with preparations containing sulfur. Repeat spraying after 2-3 weeks for greater effectiveness. Also use Thiodan's solution if you find swollen buds in the spring.

Shoot and leaf gall aphid

Perhaps the most common pest of garden plants visible to the naked eye is aphid. Two species of this insect are the main enemies of the currant.

1. The appearance of a gall aphid is indicated by red or yellow swellings on currant leaves. After the leaf plate darkens, dries and falls off, since the aphid sucks out all the juice from it.
2. The shoot aphid feeds on the juice of young currant branches. From this impact, the shoots are deformed, their growth stops.

   

   Aphids are the most common pest of currants

As soon as you find signs of aphid infestation, treat the currant bushes with Karbofos or Aktellik according to the instructions on the package. After 7-10 days, spraying must be repeated.

Moth

The danger is not the butterfly itself, but its caterpillars, which can gnaw all the leaves, leaving only the veins. In autumn, they wrap themselves in a cocoon of spider webs and fall to the ground along with the foliage.

Spraying with any insecticide can be used to protect against the moth and its caterpillars. Carry out the first treatment as soon as the buds bloom, the second - at the end of the flowering of the currants. You should also shake off the caterpillars by hand, after laying a newspaper or cloth under the bush.

A beautiful but dangerous moth can destroy all the leaves on a currant bush

Currant glass

You can recognize the glass currant butterfly by the scales of a black-lilac shade and light transverse stripes on the abdomen. Its wingspan is 2.5 cm. The pest manifests itself at the end of June, 2 weeks after the currants bloom.

The glassworm feeds on flower nectar, and then lays eggs in the cracks in the bark. Of these, over time, white caterpillars appear, which harm the plant, gnawing branches in the middle. In the formed passages, they hibernate. Such damage leads to drying of the branches, which can be noticed at the end of flowering currants or at the beginning of ripening of berries.

The currant glass jar begins to work when the currant fades

To get rid of the glass, spray the currant bushes with any insecticide. This should be done at the end of flowering. Cut off damaged and infected branches in time, leaving no stumps and covering the wounds with garden varnish. Destroy dead leaves, weed plantings, and loosen the soil. Make sure that the bark of the branches is not damaged.

Currant gall midge

Several species of gall midges (leaf, shoot and flower) affect mainly black currant bushes. The pest looks like a small (about 3 cm long) brown mosquito.

1. You can find the eggs of leaf gall midge on young leaves located at the ends of new shoots. The larvae appear at the beginning of flowering, they immediately begin to eat the unblown leaf plates, making numerous holes. Leaves from this are deformed, darken and dry. Shoots stop growing.
2. Shooting gall midge can be found on bushes located in a shaded, humid place, in thickened plantings. Adult females lay eggs at the bottom of the shoots, usually in cracks in the bark. The larvae appear during flowering, they hide deep under the bark, forming colonies. You can recognize the affected areas by the dark, depressed spots, which eventually develop into deep and wide cracks. The branches of an infected bush dry out and become brittle.

   

   Shoot gall midge reproduces on bushes growing in shade and dampness

3. The flower gall midge lays eggs inside the buds during reproduction. They will be eaten by the larvae that appear during budding. Damaged clusters of future flowers turn yellow or take on a reddish tint, grow strongly and soon fall off.

   

   Flower gall midge larvae eat the buds from the inside

To get rid of any type of this insect, spray blackcurrant bushes with Karbofos, Aktellik or Rovikurt in the spring, until buds form. Another such treatment will also be required after the crop is harvested.

Throughout the summer and fall, inspect the bushes and cut all damaged shoots to the ground. Dig up the soil to the depth of the shovel in the fall. Try not to damage the bark when caring for the bushes. If this does happen, cover the holes with garden varnish.

Folk remedies against pests and diseases of currants

Many gardeners prefer to use proven folk remedies and methods, known for their effectiveness since ancient times.

1. Prepare an infusion of ash. Take a bucket, pour the ashes into it by 1/3, fill it to the top with water. Boil for an hour, then strain and cool. Spray the affected bushes with the prepared infusion 3 times per season.

   

   Spraying currants with ash infusion will help get rid of many diseases

2. Mullein infusion is also often used for spraying. You will need a third of a bucket of mullein, which you need to top up with warm water. Insist for 3 days, then add 3 more buckets of water, strain. In the early stages of infection or for prophylaxis, it is enough to spray the plants 1 time, before the buds open. If the disease is started, carry out the treatment 3-4 times with an interval of a week, the last time - 5 days before picking berries.
3. From powdery mildew, pathogenic bacteria and eggs, larvae of pests, spraying the plants with water heated to a boil helps. It is carried out immediately after the snow melts and before the bud swelling. Fill a watering can with boiling water and pour over each plant evenly. One adult bush will require a full watering can. Re-processing with boiling water cannot be carried out, therefore, for convenience, tie the branches with twine so that the bush is no more than 70 cm across.

Disease and Pest Resistant Currant Varieties

Progress does not stand still, and in our time, breeding offers gardeners new varieties of various crops that are practically not subject to harmful effects. The attention of scientists-breeders has not spared currants.

Table: which varieties of currants successfully resist diseases and pests

Photo Gallery: Disease and Insect Resistant Currant Varieties

Reviews of gardeners about protecting currants from diseases and pests

I have defined it as anthroknosis - maybe wrong. But from the descriptions in any horticultural literature it was most similar to him, the leaves first became lumpy-curly, then curled, turned brown, dried up. Bordeaux mixture helped, but worked several times before flowering, and then after picking berries - started again. If the same thing happens this year, I will uproot it.

My daughter and I have been picking heads of cabbage for two years in a row, this year there are already much less of them, about 5-10 buds per bush. So it was empirically established that it HELPS! Alarming drying of branches on my currants is also observed. To be honest, I've never seen anything like this in my entire life! There is a desire to cut the branches just in case, they seem to be still not tenants. The bushes spilled heavily last weekend, let's see what happens next.

I raised this question because I have had such a picture for the second year. Last year I did not cut branches in the hope that the bush would heal. As a result, he gradually dried up almost all, even those branches that were all green and began to bloom. In the middle of summer, I cut the whole bush almost to the root, it gave new shoots by the end of summer, just in case I processed them with Inta-Vir closer to the end of summer. It's the same this year. Looks like some kind of fungal disease! This year, I cut off the drying branches, many new ones grew on one bush and it oklemala, and the other two still stand, drying up, turning yellow and, it seems, they can no longer be helped ... I already want to uproot them and plant new ones, but in a different place!

You can process boiling water only in late February - early March, early in the morning in the frost. In general, it is better to use pesticides against kidney mites. Further after flowering, use folk remedies for such a pest as a moth. You can plant a tomato bush or throw tomato stepsons. After harvesting, you need to pickle a couple more times before winter. The rains wash away the treatment on the plant and it will be damaged by the moth.

The surest sign of the appearance of a bud mite on currant bushes is strongly swollen buds. In the spring, such buds do not bloom, but only loosen up so that the mutilated rudiments of leaves are visible inside. Subsequently, the damaged buds gradually die off and dry out, which leads to significant crop losses. Each swollen kidney can contain up to several thousand mites. Another sign of a bud mite infestation of bushes is a changed color and shape of the apical leaves, which become darker than normal, glossy, leathery, and deformed. The damage is noticeable already in July - August. Every gardener should know how to deal with a kidney mite on currants. Control measures: early spring (before the tick leaves last year's buds) cutting of infected shoots and burning them. Spraying currants during the period of throwing flower brushes with 2-degree ISO or a suspension of colloidal sulfur (75 g per 10 l of water). After flowering, spraying with 1-degree lime-sulfur broth or 1% aqueous suspension of colloidal sulfur. Spraying with 0.5% ether sulfonate or 0.3-0.4% tedione during the discard period and immediately after flowering also reduces the number of buds damaged by the mite.

Whatever attack you find on your currant bushes, do not despair. Experience and advice will help you save the plants along with the harvest and prevent the problem from recurring in the future. Currants are not so capricious, they need attention and the easiest care.

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Good day! My name is Svetlana. This site has become for me not only an additional source of income, but also an opportunity to share my knowledge of housekeeping with you.

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Pests and diseases of black, red and white currants

It is important for the gardener to recognize the signs of the disease at an early stage, before it has spread. We have prepared a catalog that contains currant diseases and the fight against them, photos with signs of damage, as well as all the necessary treatment and prevention measures.

Irga (lat.Amelanchier)

Also called "Korinka". A deciduous shrub or small tree of the rose family with white or cream flowers. The berries are small, up to 1 cm in diameter, in the form of apples of black-blue or red-violet color with a bluish bloom.

Currant (from Lat. Ribes) became popular in Russia in the 11th century. The fragrant berry got its name due to its strong smell, for which it was named "currant". The culture belongs to the Gooseberry family (lat. Grossulariaceae) and has more than a hundred varieties.

Diseases of the currant and its pests are found in almost every private household. Therefore, a novice gardener cannot do without knowledge of measures to combat them and prevention.

Diseases and pests of currants

The disease affects the leaves of black currants and gooseberries, and in red currants - leaf petioles, stalks and fruits. Anthracnose develops in early May. First, small brown spots appear on the leaves with darker colored edges. Gradually they grow in size and merge together. The affected leaves turn yellow, curl upward and fall off prematurely, the shoots are stunted and do not ripen.

In the fight against anthracnose, it is important to dig up the soil in late autumn and early spring around the bushes with the incorporation of fallen diseased leaves.

Of the chemical means of protecting currants, positive results are obtained by spraying with a solution of iron or copper sulfate before bud break (respectively, 300, 50-100 grams per 10 liters of water). During the growing season, a four-time spraying with one percent Bordeaux liquid is carried out. It is important in this case that the liquid gets on the top and bottom sides of the sheet. The first spraying is carried out during bud break, the second - immediately after flowering, the third - 10-15 days after the second, and the fourth - after harvesting.

A common currant disease in the country. Orange spots appear on the underside of the leaf - pads. During the period of exacerbation of the disease, the leaves fall off, the bushes weaken, the yield decreases.

Currants should not be planted in places where sedge grows, and when planting, thicken the bushes. The site is kept in a weed-free condition. In the fall, the soil is dug deeply, embedding autumn leaves in it. In addition, the bushes are sprayed with a solution of iron or copper sulfate, as well as Bordeaux liquid, as in the fight against anthracnose.

A fungal disease that affects the leaves of currants and gooseberries. It appears on them in the form of grayish rounded or angular spots with a dark brown border and black dots in the center.

Control measures. The same as against anthracnose.

A viral disease that spreads very quickly. The disease is carried by currant kidney mites, aphids, bedbugs. With a disease of terry, the shape and color of the flowers changes. The leaves of diseased plants also change. The lobes of the leaf become narrow, pointed, the denticles greatly increase and stand out sharply on the leaf blade. The flowers turn purple and become double. Sepals and stamens turn into petals. Leaves from five-lobed become three-lobed. Currant bushes infected with terry do not bear fruit. The disease is transferred with the planting material.

For the establishment of new plantings of currants, only healthy planting material is used. Branches affected by terry are cut off, and sometimes the entire bushes are removed. In addition, they must fight the kidney mite.

It affects all types of currants. Yellow-red convex galls are formed on the upper side of the leaves.

- Currant glass jar.
Its larva makes holes in the inner part of the black currant twigs, which it feeds on. Hibernates in paved passages.

- Currant gall midge.
Its larva damages, strongly deforms or completely dries out young leaves on the tops, on the main branches and ramifications.

- Kidney mite.
Destroys flower buds and is a carrier of the most dangerous viral disease - reversion.

Branches and twigs affected by glass and kidney mites are cut out and burned, repeating the operation after 15-20 days.
After the leaves fall, they are buried or collected and burned - against anthracnose, septoria, gall midge, etc.
Winter spraying is carried out with a 1.5% solution of dinosol - against all diseases.

With the massive appearance of gall midges in the second half of March, the soil surface under the bushes is sprinkled with 2.8% lindane at the rate of 3 g / m2.
After flowering, they are sprayed with a 0.1% solution of basezol, a 0.1% solution of caratan or a 0.8% solution of thiosol (if the plants are not damaged by powdery mildew, they can be replaced with a 0.3% solution of perocin) in combination with a 0.3% chlorophos solution, 0.12% dipterex solution or with another insecticide - against anthracnose, septoria, powdery mildew, glass, gall midge, etc.
A 0.2% milbol solution, a 0-2% thionex solution are used against the kidney mite.

How to fight and heal with folk methods

They have low efficiency, but do not affect the taste and quality of the fruit. Alternative control measures can be used at any stage of the growing season of the bush, the recommended processing interval is 2 weeks. Effective remedies that can be used to treat a plant:

• soaking the roots of seedlings and spraying (you can carry out the procedure even when the currants begin to bloom) with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate
• treatment of leaves and shoots with serum at the rate of 1 liter per 10 liters of water
• dusting the leaves with wood ash.
• use of 5% iodine solution (10 ml per 10 liters of water).

To prevent infection, systematic pruning should be carried out, as well as the composition and quality of the soil should be monitored. It is necessary to feed the currants. Young plants are susceptible to diseases, therefore, in order not to have to fight them, care in the first year of growth is especially important.