Why do apple trees have corrugated leaves?
Apple trees are one of the most common crops grown in home gardens and summer cottages. To ensure good fruit production, it's important to regularly inspect the trees. For example, unusually shaped leaves with a corrugated, wrinkled surface are often caused by an infection called leaf curl.
Description and causes of the disease
Leaf curl or deformation is a symptom of a dangerous infectious disease caused mainly by fungi of the genus (Taphrina), belonging to the order Taphrinales.
Fungal spores overwinter in cracks in the apple tree bark. In the spring, raindrops and melting snow carry them to the buds. As a result of infection, the leaf blade tissue thickens, leading to uneven growth. A wavy, corrugated surface appears.
Spots form, as leaf curl is often accompanied by necrosis. Leaves die, dry out, and fall prematurely. Young leaves remain underdeveloped. Fruits don't have time to develop. Without taking the necessary measures, the entire harvest can be lost.
Harmful sap-sucking pests (mites, aphids) can cause the appearance of corrugated leaves.
Treatment of curly hair
If you discover characteristic signs of leaf curl (like corrugated leaves) during an inspection of your apple trees, cut out all the damaged parts using pruning shears with sharp, alcohol-disinfected blades. These should be burned immediately. Avoid composting such plant debris to prevent contamination of other fruit and berry crops.
Treatment should begin at the first signs of infection. Effective fungicides such as Abika-Peak, Profit Gold, Horus, Mikosan-V, Strobi, and Ridomil Gold are used. When new foliage begins to emerge after treatment, the apple tree is fed with nitrogen fertilizer.
If corrugated leaves on an apple tree are caused by numerous aphid colonies, it is necessary to treat the pest with Fitoverm-Forte, Akarin, or Fufanon Nova before fruit formation. Decis, Intavir, and Cypermethrin can also be used.
If spider mites are found on leaves, use Karate Zeon, Karbofos, Bi-58 Novy and other insectoacaricides.
Prevention
Cool, damp weather is a provoking factor for the rapid spread of infection.
To reduce the risk of leaf curl, it is recommended to plant apple trees in a well-lit area of the garden. Avoid overly dense plantings.
In early spring, before the buds swell, irrigate apple trees and the surrounding tree trunks. Choose calm, dry, windless weather with a temperature of at least 5°C. Use a 1% copper sulfate solution. Nitrafen is also available, which can be used to prepare a working solution with a concentration of 2–3%.
During the period when buds begin to emerge, preventative spraying with Bordeaux mixture (1%) is practiced. Copper or iron sulfate are also used.
Another irrigation of trees with copper-containing preparations is carried out in the summer after flowering has completed. In the fall, after fruiting, before the active leaf fall, it is recommended to spray the crown with urea.
To effectively protect apple trees from dangerous leaf curl, characterized by the appearance of ruffled leaves, it's important to develop a preventative spraying system throughout the growing season. This will not only prevent fungal infections but also reduce pest populations, which can also significantly reduce apple yields.
