How to treat bacterial leaf spot

 Bacterial leaf spot in plants: How to treat bacterial leaf spot

Many ornamental and edible plants show dark, necrotic spots on their leaves. This is a sign of bacterial leaf spot disease. Bacterial leaf spots on plants can cause discoloration and, in severe cases, destroy the leaves. Bacterial leaf spot is caused by small, tiny, single-celled organisms. There are several methods for treating bacterial leaf spots and how to preserve the glorious leaves of your plant. Early detection is important in effectively managing bacterial leaf spot disease.

Symptoms of bacterial leaves

Bacterial leaf spots in plants manifest in a variety of ways. Symptoms of bacterial leaf spots include black-pointed lesions, brown spots with a yellow halo, or light and dark areas of foliage. The dots are irregular and measure 3/16 and ½ inches (5 mm to 1 cm) wide. They can occur on the upper or lower part of the leaves and can kill sections of tissue when they are clustered together. Symptoms of bacterial leaf spot may also appear on the edges of a leaf, where it appears brownish-yellow and the tissue dries and breaks down. When bacterial disease attacks the leaf edges the leaves become very paper and soft. The disease is more common in old leaves but develops more quickly in new tissues.

 

What is the cause of bacterial leaf spots?

Creatures invisible to the naked eye are responsible for this apparent damaging plant disease. Wet, cold conditions promote the formation of these bacteria, which spread rapidly in plants. Bacteria either spray on leaves or float in plant debris in the soil. Bacteria divide to reproduce and a bacterium can multiply rapidly within a few hours. Bacteria reproduce rapidly when the temperature is 77 to 86 degrees F (25-30 C). A high rate of infection can cause leaf loss and severely affect the health of a plant. It makes the disease highly contagious and is very important in the treatment of bacterial leaf spot disease.

The pathogen is also carried on infected seeds, however, there are some immune seed strains to food crops. In addition, select disease-free transplants, rotate crops and avoid over-irrigation to prevent bacterial spread.

How to treat bacterial leaf spot

In addition to the previous tips to prevent the spread of the disease, you can use copper fungicide for crops. It has limited management utility if not used at the beginning of the disease cycle. In ornamental plants, remove the affected leaves at the first sign to prevent the spread of bacteria on the adjacent leaves. The most common hosts are greens, beets, eggplant, peppers, and ornamental plants with large leaves, such as philodendrons. Remove old vegetable debris from the garden and do not plant new crops in a place where the host plants will grow at one time. There are no approved chemical treatments for bacterial leaf spot disease. Prevention and mechanical control at the first sign of bacterial leaf spot symptoms is your best bet.