Let us first define blight to understand the blight meaning. Blight meaning depicts something similar to a symptom that can affect the crops grown for food and other plants by causing a lot of problems. When the crops are spoilt are damaged, it can be referred to as crop blight. The blight meaning is deeper than just spoiling the crop, which when increased the blight disease can kill the plants as well. The blight plant disease when caused by bacteria is called bacterial blight. Let us further understand the blight plant disease.
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Blight Plant Disease
The blight is caused by several microorganisms and the naming is done in accordance with their causative agents.
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Blight Disease |
Causative Agent |
Plants and Crops Affected |
Treatment |
|
Fire Blight |
Bacterium Erwinia amylovora |
Pome Fruits, raspberry, pear, apple |
|
|
Late Blight |
Water mould Phytophthora infestans |
Potatoes And Tomatoes |
For future planting, the selection is done concerning the resistant varieties ensure it to be a different location and then destroy the plant. |
|
Bacterial Blight Of Rice |
Bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae |
Rice crops |
Spraying the combination of Fytolanand adriamycin 100. Agrimycin 500 Bristoll and Terramycin 17 can also be used as a spray over rice crops. |
|
Early Blight |
Species of the ubiquitous fungal genus Alternaria |
Tomatoes and Potatoes |
Remove affected parts of the plants. After the first fruit sets, remove the lower leaves. Ensure to plant the crops elsewhere the following year. |
|
Leaf blight of the grasses |
Ascochyta species and Alternaria triticina |
Wheat Crops |
Use microbial and biological products, transplant treatment using streptomycin and sprays with plant activator and copper treatment is used. |
|
Chestnut blight |
Fungus Cryphonectria parasitica |
Matured American Chestnuts |
Mud packs need to be applied to each affected canker in the chestnut trees. |
Symptoms
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Sudden and severe yellowing and rapidly browning,
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Spotting often seen as leaf spots
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Withering
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The dying of all the plants gradually includes the leaves, stems, flowers and already showing fruits or the entire plant at one go.
Bacterial Blight Disease spreads by a common aforementioned bacterium that persists in soil and water through wind-driven rains. The bacteria over the winter reside on the crop residues, seed, fall-sown cereals, and effects the perennial grasses. Spring infection is the consequence of any of these sources of blight disease by splashing of bacterial ooze by raindrops, from plant to plant which are in contact with the insects.
Bacterial blight first develops on the upper leaves during winter and relatively cooler periods, wet weather and even in the humid climate after the plants have reached the boot stage. Warm and dry weather stops the spread of disease and eliminates any further blight growth in the plant and the newly emerging leaves may be relatively free of bacterial infection.
Prevention of Blight and its Destructive Symptoms
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Remove diseased leaves immediately as soon as they appear any delay might kill the plants.
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Improve air circulation for free movement and for the leaves to breathe around plants.
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Mulch around the plant base to reduce water splashing.
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Do not use overhead watering instead use the sprinklers.
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Control weeds regular pruning of unwanted plant growth must be done.
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Rotate crops every year and do not plant in the same location where blight was caused.
Conclusion
Even though humans are not the primary sufferers of the blight disease, we must take accountability in helping the farmers whose livelihood depends on the crops grown that are also helpful in feeding the entire nation. The blight that has caused millions of deaths can be unstoppable once it starts to spread, so educating the farmers about the agricultural necessities by an expert will prove to be very helpful.