Corticium Salmonicolor Disease On Coffee Trees: Causes And Ways To Prevent It – Corticium Salmonicolor Disease or Pink fungal disease on coffee trees (in some places called pink mold, pink cat disease, or powdery mildew).
This disease is caused by harmful fungi, quite common on crops; for coffee trees, the disease is second only to dry branches and coffee rust. In today’s article, let’s learn about the causes, harms, and prevention of coffee pink fungus with Helena Coffee Vietnam.
The causative agent of coffee pink fungus
The disease is caused by a fungus with the scientific name Corticium salmonicolor. This fungus usually thrives in the rainy season, when the temperature is between 28-30 degrees Celsius and the high air humidity (over 85%).
Usually begins to cause damage in June-July, peaks in September, and then gradually decreases.
Especially for coffee plantations with a dense density, plants that are too shaded will thrive and tend to spread faster.
Symptoms of pink coffee fungus
- The disease usually causes damage to fruit clusters and young branches, but if not handled promptly, the condition can develop in both large branches and main trunks.
- Initial lesions are small white spots that look like chalk dust
- Then spread into a large patch, the surface has many pale pink powders
- The disease often occurs in locations where water is often stagnant and less illuminated such as fruit interstitial, fruit bunches, and lower branches …
- After a period of development, the disease will cause the infected fruit bunches and branches to become withered, covered with many rose bushes (fungal spores), and die on the tree.
The harm of pink coffee fungus
When parasitic on plants, fungi will develop a system of suckers, also known as roots, that go deep into the body, sucking up the plant’s nutrients to live and simultaneously causing the vascular system to be destroyed.
The infected body is not supplied with enough water and nutrients, so it will turn yellow, wither, and die.
Fungal diseases often clump together to form large patches, which, if not handled in time, will spread to large branches and main trunks. Make the tree exhausted, wither and then die.
The period of the fungal outbreak is usually when the tree is growing fruit, causing young fruit to drop a lot, reducing yield and the tree’s growth.
It is observed that the disease spreads on trees quite quickly but spreads to other trees more slowly. However, the disease is likely to apply in favorable conditions (a lot of rain, strong wind, and high level of dispersion due to thick planting…). Outbreak into an epidemic
How to prevent coffee pink fungus
Cultivation method
- Plant coffee with a moderate density, suitable for the characteristics of each variety.
- Robust dispersal tomato varieties (T4, TR9, TRS1): 3-3.5m
- Moderately dispersed coffee varieties (dwarf green, string coffee): 2.8m
- Use shade trees with a medium canopy; annuals should be pruned at least two times.
- After the harvest and before fertilization, cutting the branches, breaking the buds, and keeping the canopy open is necessary.
- Fertilizer for coffee is balanced between inorganic and organic fertilizers, especially organic fertilizers (rotten manure or composted rice husks) should contain antagonistic strains of Trichoderma, which help prevent harmful fungi on plants. plant
- It is recommended to replace or improve the current best coffee varieties, such as dwarf green coffee varieties, string coffee varieties, TR4 coffee varieties, TR9 coffee varieties, and TRS1 coffee varieties … these are all capable varieties. Strong growth and resistance to fungal diseases improve yield and reduce pests.
- Regularly visit the garden, and detect diseased plants early to cut, destroy and treat diseases with specialized drugs promptly.
Chemical measures
Like fungal diseases such as coffee rust and dry branches of coffee berries, the pink fungus can also be treated with pesticides containing active ingredients Hexaconazole, Validamycin, Albendazole … or drugs containing copper ions, silver ions…
Prevention should be better than cure; spray prevention at least 1-2 times a year at the beginning and middle of the rainy season. When the disease appears, pour 2-3 times 7-10 days apart to completely kill the fungus.
When spreading, you should choose a calm, windless day to increase the drug’s effectiveness. Avoid hot or rainy days.
Some drugs to treat coffee pink fungus
- Medicine Jinggangmeisu 5SL, 5WP, 10WP
- Abenix 10FL
- Chevin 5SC
- Anvil 5SC
- Drug COC85
So, just now, we have reviewed some information about coffee pink fungus; this common disease causes serious harm if not handled entirely. I hope you have more information to prevent it effectively and bring a bountiful harvest.