Major pests of Gerbera are:-
1.Gerbera Root rot: Rhizoctonia solani
Symptoms:
- The infection results in stunted growth.
- Ultimately the entire plant dry. Rhizoctonia solani causes more losses and can attack older plants.
Management:
- Soil sterilization controls the diseases.
- Drenching with Pseudomonas fluorescens 2g/litre of water.
2.Gerbera Powdery mildew: Erysiphe chichoracearum and Oidium erysiphoides f.sp. gerbera
Symptoms:
- The fungus forms a white powdery coating on the foliage.
Management:
- Spraying with 0.2% Wettable sulphur controls E. Chichoracearum.
- Diseased leaves should be removed and destroyed.
3.Gerbera Anthracnose: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
Symptoms:
- The disease appears as circular, scattered, reddish brown spots.
- They coalesce with one another during moist weather involving large area and resulting in withering, rolling and drying of leaves.
Management:
- Excessive watering and crowding of plants should be avoided.
- Diseased leaves should be collected and burnt.
- Spraying with Pseudomonas fluorescens 2g/litre of water.
4.Gerbera Blossom blight: Phytophythora palmivoras
Symptoms:
- The disease appears as light brown, irregular, water-soaked spots on flower stalks and petals.
- The spots increase rapidly and coalesce with one another and form distinct depressed lesions.
- Under humid conditions, the infections become severe involving the entire flower head and resulting in blossom blight and stalk rot.
- The disease is favoured by drizzling rains and cool moist weather. The fungus is soil-borne and the infection starts from the base touching the soil.
Management:
- Use of disease-free soil for cultivation reduces the disease incidence.
- Affected flowers should be collected and destroyed.
- Excessive watering should be avoided.
Source-
- TamilNadu AgritechPortal.
