Passion fruit is a highly nutritious fruit with rapid growth, extensive management, and high fruiting rate, making it very promising for cultivation. However, during the cultivation of passion fruit, leaf curling is a common problem that significantly affects yield. So, what are the specific reasons and prevention methods for this issue? Let's find out.
Causes of Passion Fruit Leaf Curl
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High Temperature: Prolonged high temperatures above 35°C exacerbate transpiration in passion fruit leaves, leading to dehydration and curling.
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Light: Excessive cloudy and rainy weather reduces sunlight, causing closed branches and leaves, weak photosynthesis, and imbalanced nutrition, resulting in leaf curling.
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Soil: Poor soil aeration obstructs water and nutrient absorption by roots, leading to leaf curling.
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Fertilizer Damage: Excessive use of fertilizers or high concentrations of pesticides can burn passion fruit roots, causing leaf curling.
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Pest Infestation: Pests that damage stem and leaf growth, such as mites and aphids, can also cause passion fruit leaves to curl.
Prevention and Control of Passion Fruit Leaf Curl
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Cooling: Naturally, the solution to leaf curl caused by high temperatures is cooling. Suggestions include improving soil, enhancing soil water retention, timely and appropriate irrigation to cool the orchard, and covering or planting grass to regulate surface temperature.
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Pruning: Trim dense branches to reduce plant density and ensure ventilation and light penetration to prevent leaf curl due to imbalanced nutrition.
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Watering: Irrigate reasonably to avoid severe soil drought. Drain promptly during the rainy season, focus on root maintenance, and reduce leaf curl.
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Fertilization: During the growth period, pay attention to fertilization management and proper fertilizer combination, avoiding excessive nitrogen application. Increase phosphorus and potassium fertilization, and apply 0.2%-0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate as foliar spray to ensure sufficient water and fertilizer supply during flowering and fruiting.
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Pest Control: Keep the orchard clean, remove dead branches, fallen leaves, and weeds to reduce overwintering pests. For severe cases, timely spray with insecticides such as imidacloprid, acetamiprid, abamectin, or other pyrethroid pesticides, paying attention to proper dosage to avoid phytotoxicity.
In summary, leaf curling in passion fruit is a common problem that can lead to severe consequences such as withering and falling off. Therefore, it requires attention and early prevention. Detecting and treating problems promptly is essential.
