Crops

Crop Diseases: Types, Causes and Prevention

Published:

June 10, 2024

Content:

‍Identifying Crop Disease
Crop Diseases Caused by Bacteria
Crop Diseases Caused by Fungi
Crop Diseases Caused by Nematodes
Crop Diseases Caused By Virus
Crop Diseases Caused By Parasitic Plants

The health of agribusiness depends on the health of the crops in your fields. Diseased plants eat the bottom line away and necessitate prompt action. Early detection is the key to deploying effective responses to pests, viruses, bacteria, and a wide range of biotic and abiotic threats. To better manage your fields and increase your yields, you can use Cropler’s remote plant monitoring systems that deliver real-time data. Our solutions allow you to monitor the presence of many types of plant diseases, identify the causes, and take action to protect your crops and prevent issues from spreading or recurring.

Identifying Crop Disease

Crop diseases are a constant threat to your harvest. There are numerous causes of crop diseases that can inhibit the physiological process of your crops, including bacteria, viruses, nematodes, parasites, and fungi. In most cases, they cause visible symptoms such as spotting, dead foliage, spores, discoloration, or bumps. Cropler’s systems allow for prompt crop disease identification which prevents disease spread and loss of your field crops [1]The water in agriculture. (2022, October 5).The world Ban .

Crop Diseases Caused By Bacteria

Symptoms Of Bacterial Crop Diseases Include:

Common Bacterial Diseases Include:

Fire blight
Bacterial blight
Bacterial crown gall
Blackleg
Aerial stem rot
Tuber soft rot
Citrus cankers
Stewart's wilt

Bacterial Disease Control

Using disease-free, resistant seed varieties is an effective method of preventing bacterial diseases. When symptoms appear, prompt application of chemical and biological controls is vital. However, because bacterial diseases are notoriously difficult to control, exclusion and eradication are typically the most effective strategies. [2] Preeti, P. et al. (2019, January). Rainwater Harvesting in Australia Using an Australia-Wide Model: A Preliminary Analysis. 2nd International Conference on Water and Environmental Engineering (ICWEE2019), 253-262.

Crop Diseases Caused By Fungi

Symptoms of fungal crop diseases:

Extensive necrosis
Damping-off
Rot
Dieback
Blight
Scab
Leaf spots
Warts
Clubroot

Common fungal diseases:

Powdery mildew
Downy mildew
Stem rust
Fusarium wilt
Potato blight
Scab
Apple scab
Dutch elm
Coffee rust
Corn smut
Botrytis cinerea
Canker
Anthracnose

Fungal Disease Management

Due to an abundance of fungal species, there exist a plentiful range of options for controlling fungal diseases. As with all crop diseases, the use of high-quality propagating stock is advisable. Should this fail to protect your crop, the application of chemical or biological fungicide should commence immediately. [3]Wang, S. et al. (2023, February). Diversified crop rotations reduce groundwater use and enhance system resilience. Agricultural Water Management, 276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.108067

How to Save the Yields and Quality of Crops with Cropler? When you have questions, we'll help you find the answers you need to take control of your fields and the harvest you care about. Contact Cropler to discover more about our products and the ways we help you proactively protect your operations from the effects of crop diseases. Discover more

Crop Diseases Caused By Nematodes

Symptoms Of Nematode Crop Diseases:

Yellowing
Stunted growth
Wilting
Declining yield
Root knots or galls
Swelling stems

Common Nematodes:

Heterodera
Globodera
Pratylenchus
Ditylenchus dipsaci
Radopholus similis
Xiphinema
Aphelenchoides

Control of Nematode Diseases

Effective control of nematode-caused diseases includes using nematode-free nursery stocks, crop rotation, planting cover crops, and the strategic application of chemical fumigants and nematicides. Depending on the causative nematode, it may also be possible to apply biological controls such as bacterial parasites.

Crop Diseases Caused By Virus

Symptoms Of Viral Crop Diseases

Mosaic patterns
Deformed growth
Chlorosis
Ringspots
Vein clearing
Stunted growth

Common Viral Diseases

Control Of Crop Diseases Caused By Viruses

Immunization and selective plant breeding can produce virus-resistant crops. In many cases, quarantine as well as removal of afflicted plants is advised. Depending on the causative virus, the use of parasites may stem the spread of an epidemic and further crop contamination.

Crop Diseases Caused By Parasitic Plants

Common Parasitic Plants

Mistletoe
Cuscuta
Orobanche
Striga (Witchweed)

Methods Of Controlling Crop Diseases Caused By Parasitic Plants

Parasitic plants should be promptly and thoroughly removed to prevent recurrence or spread. It may also be advisable to consider suicidal germination and aggressive soil treatments, selective breeding to develop resistant hosts, and in the future, potentially the use of RNAi technology to prevent plant reproduction and contamination of field crops.

Resources

Water in Agriculture. (2022, October 5). The World Bank.
Preeti, P. et al. (2019, January). Rainwater Harvesting in Australia Using an Australia-Wide Model: A Preliminary Analysis. 2nd International Conference on Water and Environmental Engineering (ICWEE2019), 253-262.
Wang, S. et al. (2023, February). Diversified crop rotations reduce groundwater use and enhance system resilience. Agricultural Water Management, 276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.108067

When you have questions, we'll help you find the answers you need to take control of your fields and the harvest you care about. Contact Cropler to discover more about our products and the ways we help you proactively protect your operations from the effects of crop diseases. Discover More