Most Common Plant Diseases

18 Mar Most Common Plant Diseases

The term plant disease refers to an impairment in the structure or function of a plant that results in observable symptoms.

To recognize a plant problem, you must first know what a healthy plant looks like. Although this may seem obvious, some plants have characteristics or habits at certain stages of growth that can be mistaken for symptoms of the disease. A sign of plant disease is physical evidence of the pathogen. For example, fungal fruiting bodies are a sign of disease. A symptom of plant disease is a visible effect of disease on the plant. Symptoms may include a detectable change in color, shape, or function of the plant as it responds to the pathogen.

Although there are plenty of plant diseases, we have listed the most common ones and the ones you may encounter;

Blight; Blight is easily recognizable by the sudden death of all plant tissue including leaves, stems, and flowers. Typically caused by wet and humid conditions, blight is common across North America.

Canker; Canker is identifiable by a dead area on the stem that is often discolored.

Gall; Leaf gall is a swelling that occurs on plants. Galls form on roots, stems, and branches and are known to be caused by root knot nematodes and insects.

Leaf Curl; Leaf curl is when leaves begin to curl and wilt. This is caused by several viruses.

Leaf Spot; Leaf spots are yellow or brown lesions (often look like burn marks) that take place on leaves. Pathogens, fungi, pesticide damage and insect feeding can all cause leaf spots.

Powdery Mildew; Mildew is one of the least harmful diseases that occurs on plants. It is easy to identify by a grey or white powdery coating on the plant. It is caused by fungal pathogens.

Root Rot; Simply put, rot is when plant tissues begin to rot away. They become thin and weak, they appear wet or dry and the plant begins to decompose. The cause of rot is pathogens and fungi.

Wilt; Wilt is when leaves start to drop down and the plant begins to appear lifeless.  Over or under watering and pathogens are common causes of wilt.

Stunting; Stunting is when plants do not grow to normal size. Nutrients, pathogens or damage to the roots are common causes of stunting.

Chlorosis (Discoloration); Chlorosis is when a green tissue turns yellow, this is known as Chlor. It has many causes including pathogens, lack of nutrients, and lack of water.

The most effective way to deal with plant diseases is to diagnose the disease in the early stages and apply the right treatment. You can predict diseases by noticing that something is not healthy in your plant and interpreting the symptoms. However, as we said before, a symptom can be seen in more than one disease, and things that appear to be disease symptoms in some periods of the plant can also be a part of the growth process.

In this case, it would be the right step to take a consultation with a specialist to diagnose the disease of your plant and apply the right treatment. What if I told you that there is an expert just an app away from you and you can learn about their diseases and treatment methods by photographing your plants? I know you’re excited! Discover the new AI tool of Farmio to accurately diagnose plant diseases using image recognition technology.