What to do when disease attacks sukuma-wiki
Sukuma-wiki plant. PHOTO/FILE.
I have a challenge with my sukuma wiki. The leaves are having dry spots all over. What can I do? Emmanuel Ezati
Dear Willy (Answered by Fred Luwagga, Agronomist – Nsanja Agro Chemicals)
Those are signs of downy mildew. This disease commonly damages leafy greens as well as other plants like onions. There are effective fungicides which can be applied but most of them mainly labelled for downy mildew are also labelled for Phytophthora blight, which is caused by a related pathogen.
Some fungicides are protectant.
Home remedies for backyard gardens can include the use of acetic acid of vinegar to control the disease. You can apply two to three tablespoons of common apple acetic vinegar, containing 5 per cent acetic acid mixed with about 20 litres of water.
At Nsanja Agro Chemicals, we have a copper-based product called Copper Fungicare which we sell. You apply five tablespoons per 20 litres of water. It can be applied every 7-10 days until the plant has visibly recovered from the attack.
But for severe cases, I recommend reaching out to an extension worker for a more concrete solution.
