During the period of May to June, which is the grape fruit enlargement phase, it's crucial to prevent various diseases to avoid issues like fruit softening and rot, which can adversely affect fruit quality and reduce planting efficiency. Let's explore what causes grapes to become soft:
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Waterberry Disease: Waterberry disease is a common physiological disease of grapes during ripening. Affected fruits show brown softening, high moisture content, low sugar content, high acidity, soft flesh, and easy separation of skin from flesh. Strengthening fertilization and water management, improving soil environment, rational load, strict removal of clusters, and reasonable pruning can help prevent this disease.
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Gray Mold Disease: Gray mold disease is a major disease causing fruit rot during the growing season of grapes, especially in hot and rainy summer and autumn. Affected fruits gradually shrink and soften, and the berries or clusters are easily detached, resulting in serious reduction of grape yield. Measures such as pruning to remove diseased clusters and branches, applying organic fertilizer and biological bacterial fertilizer, bagging fruits, and spraying fungicides like tolclofos-methyl and carbendazim can be effective in prevention and control.
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Anthracnose Disease: In the early stage of anthracnose, there are dark red or yellow spots at the base of small fruit stalks, with brown halos around the edges. The spots gradually enlarge, causing tissue below the lesion to dry up, hindering fruit growth, and leading to softening of the fruit. Prompt removal and burial of diseased fruits, deep plowing and soil improvement, increased application of organic fertilizers, phosphorus, potassium, and trace element fertilizers, scientific pruning, drainage, and appropriate fungicide spraying with products like fenhexamid can help control this disease.
In conclusion, there are many diseases that can cause grapes to become soft, with the above three being typical examples. Planters should take early preventive measures based on the characteristics of different diseases, which can significantly reduce the incidence rate.
