VOA健康报道2022--如何应对对菜园的5种常见威胁

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What to Do about 5 Common Threats to Your Vegetable Garden

Did you start seeds in spring and watch them grow under your care? Did you water, fertilize¹ and stake your little vegetable plants while thinking about the tasty food they would become?

Then one day, did you find unusual marks on your plants or some other signs of poor health? Maybe its leaves turn strange colors or its base is too soft and wet.

You are not alone, says gardening expert Jessica Damiano. She recently wrote about the issue for The Associated Press.

Damiano says many home gardeners lovingly raise their plants in the early weeks but still find them ruined before harvest time.

Here are Damiano's suggestions for identifying and treating five of the most common conditions that threaten your crops.

Anthracnose

The first condition, anthracnose, is a fungal disease. It affects beans, cucumbers, eggplants, melons and peas. Other targets are peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins² and spinach³.

Anthracnose presents as small, round marks, or spots, on leaves. These yellow spots darken over time and spread to cover entire leaves. On cucumber plants, leaves may drop, and whole vines may die. Tomatoes and peppers show dark, sunken spots that become more apparent as the fruit ages. Round, sunken, yellow spots appear on melons, darkening over time to brown and then black.

To prevent anthracnose, try rotating crops, adding compost to soil before planting and spreading mulch afterward⁴. Seek disease-resistant⁵ kinds of the plants. Avoid watering the plant from above as it wets the leaves. Wet leaves are more at risk of fungal growth.

Treat infected plants with a fungus⁶ poison. These contain chlorothalonil or copper⁷. Carefully follow the directions and safety guidance provided with the product.

Blossom end rot

Blossom end rot is another common problem for gardeners.

A lack of calcium⁹ causes the condition. Blossom end rot mainly affects tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. The condition presents as dark, soft spots on fruit bottoms. The disorder¹⁰ is often the result of uneven¹¹ watering, acid imbalance in the soil, injured roots or high levels of nitrogen.

Prevention measures include testing for an acid imbalance. If results are lower than 6.3, add dolomitic lime to planting area.

Treat affected¹² plants by spraying leaves fully⁸ with a calcium product. Fruit produced after treatment is usually symptom-free, although sometimes a second treatment is necessary.

Wilt¹³ diseases are another common danger for plants.

Verticillium and fusarium wilt are fungal diseases that spread in soil. They mainly affect eggplants, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins and tomatoes.

The diseases destroys the roots of the plants, resulting in curled, yellow and wilted¹⁴ leaves, brown, damaged tissue inside stems and incomplete growth. Entire plants wilt and die.

The only defense¹⁵ against these funguses is a good offense¹⁶. Avoid infection by planting resistant kinds of the plant. Sellers will mark the plants with a V, F, VF or VFN to identify them as resistant to verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt. You should also rotate crops, keeping infected areas free of susceptible¹⁷ plants for three or four years. This starves the disease and clears it from the soil. Clean up fallen leaves as well as fruit and plant waste.

Squash vine borer

A fourth common trouble for gardeners comes from the animal world -- the little killer¹⁸ is an insect.

Called the squash vine borer, the pest can cause sudden death after the bloom of zucchini, squash, cucumber and muskmelon plants. Look closely at these plants for signs of the insect: small holes in the bottoms of stalks and stems.

The pests start life as moths¹⁹ that lay eggs at the base of plants. Inch-long white caterpillars²⁰ result, killing²¹ plants as they eat their way around and out. And just when you think the damage is done, they remain in the soil through the following year as they develop into moths. Then the process repeats.

Prevent damage by checking plants closely. Look for red, flat, eggs early in the season and remove them by hand. Keep hunting every week.

Search for holes and borer waste -- thick collections of yellow dust material. If found, make a long, shallow, narrow cut near a bore hole on the stem. Use your hand to pull out the borers. Then cover the cuts with soil to support new growth.

If necessary, treat plants with Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, a bacterial²² insect-killing product.

Slugs

The final common threat to the garden is another animal -- the slug.

Slug damage presents as jagged holes, usually in the center of a leaf as opposed to its edges. Slugs eat basil, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce²³, tomatoes, peppers, and ornamental²⁴ plants like hostas. The animals also leave a recognizable path of slime wherever they go.

A spring cleanup that clears leaves, plant debris²⁵ and slug eggs from the soil surface is an important first step in the slug fight. Keep mulch no deeper than 7 centimeters to avoid creating a refuge for the pests.

Put a small can or jar into the soil around affected plants, leaving about 2.5 centimeters above ground. Then, fill it halfway²⁶ with the alcohol called beer. Slugs will enter the container for a drink and then they will drown. You can also attack slugs at night when they feed. The weapon in this case is salt. Shake a little on each slug and it will die from lack of water. But make sure to keep salt limited to the animals only, as salt can damage the soil.

Words in This Story

fungal -adj. of, or relating to, any member of the kingdom of living things (as mushrooms, molds, and rusts) that have no chlorophyll, must live in or on plants, animals, or decaying material, and were formerly²⁷ considered plants

rotate -v. in agriculture: to grow different crops in succession on the same land chiefly to keep the productive capacity of the soil

mulch -n. a material (as straw or bark) spread over the ground especially to protect the roots of plants from heat or cold, to keep soil moist, and to control weeds

stake -v. to fasten up or support (something, such as a plant) with stakes

wilt -v. to lose freshness and become limp, especially due to lack of nutrients²⁸

stem -n. the main trunk of a plant

susceptible -adj. having little resistance (as to infection or damage)

pest -n. a plant or animal that is harmful to humans or property

bloom -v. state or period of flowering

stalk -n. a plant stem especially when not woody

jagged -adj. having a sharply uneven edge or surface

ornamental -adj. a decorative object, especially : a plant cultivated for its beauty rather than for use

1 fertilize   

v.使受精，施肥于，使肥沃

参考例句：

• Fertilizer is a substance put on land to fertilize it.肥料是施在地里使之肥沃的物质。
• Reading will fertilize his vocabulary.阅读会丰富他的词汇。

2 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

3 spinach   

n.菠菜

参考例句：

• Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
• You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。

4 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

5 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

6 fungus   

n.真菌，真菌类植物

参考例句：

• Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
• This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。

7 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

10 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

11 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

14 wilted   

（使）凋谢，枯萎( wilt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The flowers wilted in the hot sun. 花在烈日下枯萎了。
• The romance blossomed for six or seven months, and then wilted. 那罗曼史持续六七个月之后就告吹了。

15 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

16 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

17 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

18 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

19 moths   

n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

20 caterpillars   

n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带

参考例句：

• Caterpillars eat the young leaves of this plant. 毛毛虫吃这种植物的嫩叶。
• Caterpillars change into butterflies or moths. 毛虫能变成蝴蝶或蛾子。 来自辞典例句

21 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

22 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

23 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

24 ornamental   

adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物

参考例句：

• The stream was dammed up to form ornamental lakes.溪流用水坝拦挡起来,形成了装饰性的湖泊。
• The ornamental ironwork lends a touch of elegance to the house.铁艺饰件为房子略添雅致。

25 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

26 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

27 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

28 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》