By Joseph Mugenyi
Kampala: Rain season has started and most farmers are complaining about the folding/ curling of leaves of most crops grown and fungal diseases.
Folding.
Folding is due to pests like aphids, mites, trips and whiteflies that extract juice from leaves causing them to fold.
Folding reduces surface area of a leaf that has to be exposed to sunlight which in turn affects the process of photosynthesis.
After folding leaves develop spots, they turn yellowish and eventually drop off.
Fungi.
Fungi rapidly grows and reproduces in cold weather.
The infection results into the following signs and symptoms.
Signs.
- Leaf rus
- Stem rust
- Sclerotinia (white mold)
- Powdery mildew.
Symptoms.
- Birds-eye spot on berries
- Damping off of seedlings.
Note:
Rusts/spots on leaves and stems resemble a burn and hence locally called `omuuro’.
The only way of controlling folding and fungal diseases is using insectcides and curative fungicides respectively.
Common used insecticides :-
Fenos, acelemectin, rocket, nimbercidine, alpha, bash etc
Commonly used fungicides :-
fangocil, harvester, ridomil, kingmil, victory,master etc.
It’s better u also apply little fungicides for prevention in case the crop is not yet infected.
Get all the agricultural information here bi-weekly.Mugenyi Joseph (MJ Farmer) is a practicing Agribusiness entrepreneur based in Kibiito and a software Engineering student at Makerere University. He can be reached on 0701-443309, Email:mugenyijosemj@gmail.com
