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Mold is a highly defective disease caused in plants and shrubs, mainly by reproduction of fungus. Molds are of different types but the certain type like Ascomycetes well known as Sooty Molds are exceptional in the sense it is caused in most of the plant species. The Characteristic features of Sooty molds include the formation of black molds thickly spread over the leaves and dusty patches sticking onto the molds. Secretion of insects such as whiteflies, aphids, mealy bugs, scales, hoppers and sometimes spittlebugs was observed to be a driving factor for the initiation of this disease because honeydew or waxy kind excreted product from such insects serves as a medium for the fungus to grow. In addition, the water droplets created from the stomata of leaves is associated with the fungal intensification. Plants affected mostly are of hilly varieties, which include pine, oak, maple, beech, linden, bayberry, walnut, Catalpa, Magnolia, Mountain ash, Tulip tree, pear, American Bladdernut, etc. Some trees is less susceptible to this disease in the fact they resist the insects, responsible factor of the disease.
Even though the mold is less destructive it occurs over plant leaves in common inhibiting the process of photosynthesis. The foliage loss due to sooty molds depends on the stage of its identification. If the attack is identified earlier the plant can be saved following immediate treatment or by removing manually in case of gardens. At mature stage, the growth of fungus will be intense making difficult in removal of mold and at the same time the leaves become almost crushing brown. The reason behind the deterioration of plant in this disease would be mainly because of inhibition in the photosynthetic cycle for over a period of time.
Organic treatment will be apt for the prevention sooty molds. Neem oil a responsible insecticide can prevent the invasion of aphids, hoppers, mites, bugs and flies into the cultivated area of plants thereby avoiding the formation of excretory dews by the insects over the leaves. Ascomycetes will be withheld due to the unsupportive medium for growth. Since this type of mold occurs both in outdoor as well as indoor, neem oil application becomes positive in both the cases on spraying in the farms regularly. Moreover, the toxicity is very less in neem oil, which means it does not affect the plants on its spray. Other than Neem oil there are few organic insecticidal soaps that can probably be made use of in cleaning the patches of the mold.
Author: Adam Teaser - neem
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