Powdery mildew of wheat, Erysiphe graminis f. sp. tritici attacks wheat during periods of rapid growth, high levels of nitrogen fertilizer, high humidities, and cool temperatures. Yield losses due to mildew are caused by reduction in photosynthesis, increase in respiration and transpiration, impairment of heading and grain filling, and loss of plant vigor and growth.

Strawberry powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera aphanis, affects leaves, fruit, and runners of strawberry plants. Infected leaves have reduced photosynthetic capability and infected fruit become unmarketable. Both of these factors translate to economic loss for the grower and therefore merit taking measures to control the disease. One objective of this study was to evaluate the resistance developed in populations of strawberry powdery mildew to chemical control measures. A fungicide assay was developed to evaluate the efficacy of six treatments (penthiopyrad, quinoxyfen, myclobutanil, trifloxystrobin, cyflufenamid, fluopyram + trifloxystrobin) for control of the disease. Nineteen isolates of strawberry powdery mildew were collected from Balico, Salinas, Watsonville, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Ventura, and Oxnard CA and tested through the assay. The number of isolates resistant to each treatment was: penthiopyrad (7), quinoxyfen (6), myclobutanil (7), trifloxystrobin (2), cyflufenamid (1), fluopyram + trifloxystrobin (0). This documents resistance in P. aphanis to multiple chemicals used for its control. Documentation of any resistance is novel in California and novel worldwide with resistance to Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) codes 7 and 13. Another objective of this study was to evaluate host plant resistance to strawberry powdery mildew. Twelve cultivars were evaluated in a winter greenhouse trial, sixteen cultivars in a summer greenhouse trial, and the ten cultivars shared in both trials were also evaluated in two fields. The cultivars found to be most susceptible to mildew infection were BG 3.324 and Royal Royce. The cultivars found to be the least susceptible to mildew infection were Fronteras, San Andreas, and Sweet Ann. The cultivars evaluated represent more than 55% of the state’s acreage and the host plant resistance information will be a valuable tool to growers looking to culturally control powdery mildew.

The effectiveness of the biocontrol product Actinovate® at enhancing tomato plant growth and yield, and reducing the presence of fungal pathogens was studied in greenhouse and field conditions. In the greenhouse, no differences were found among seed germination or plant survival rates, seedling heights, dry root weights, and dry shoot weights of tomato seedlings grown from seeds drenched with Actinovate® or Rootshield®. The effects of one initial Actinovate® seed drench at sowing, repeated applications through the drip irrigation throughout the season, or repeated applications through the drip irrigation plus foliar applications throughout the season at reducing plant infection by fungal plant pathogens, and increasing yield and quality for tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) were investigated in Los Alamos, CA, on a sandy loam soil. No significant differences in plant height were found among the four treatments. Marketable fruit weight was greater in the drip plus foliar treatment than in the Actinovate® seed drench treatment. The foliar plus drip treatment resulted in the greatest amount of powdery mildew present, although the disease pressure was low. No significant differences were found among the four treatments in the presence of Verticillium wilt or Sclerotinia.

No description available.

An experiment was instituted to incorporate resistance to the powdery mildew fungus <i>Erysiphe cichoracearum</i> DC into the Ambrosia muskmelon, a melon of the Casaba or winter type. First generation hybrid (F1), first generation backcross (B1) and second generation inbred (F2) plants were grown to maturity at Blacksburg and Warsaw, Virginia. On the basis of the data obtained the following conclusions are drawn: • The muskmelon material acquired from the Plant Exploration and Introduction Service is a good source of powdery mildew resistance and of the material tested, PI3 showed the most promise as a source of commercial resistance. • The general technique of hybridizing a susceptible with a resistant plant can be used to advantage in incorporating disease resistance into the Ambrosia melon. • Further work is needed to obtain a commercially acceptable Ambrosia melon which is essentially homozygous for resistance to powdery mildew, and to determine the exact mechanism of inheritance of powdery mildew resistance. / Master of Science

Le cucurbitacee possono essere attaccate da più di 200 malattie, una corretta gestione è dunque fondamentale per ridurre il rischio di perdite di produzione, sia in termini di quantità sia in termini di qualità. Tra le malattie più importanti che attaccano le cucurbitacee ci sono l’oidio e la peronospora delle cucurbitacee. Podosphaera xanthii e Golovinomyces cichoracearum sono gli agenti causali dell’oidio. È stato studiato l’effetto della temperature sulla germinazione dei conidi in ambiente controllato a 6 temperature costanti (da 10 a 35°C, ad intervalli di 5C°) da 3 a 72 ore. La temperature ottimale per la germinazone, l’infezione e la sporulazione è risultata essere rispettivamente 24.4, 25.7 e 21.3°C per P. xanthii e 17.9, 17.3 e 16.2°C per G. cichoracearum. Un modello meccanicistico è stato sviluppato per il rischio che i due agenti patogeni causassero un attacco di oidio. Il modello simula la germinazione su foglie infettate sulla base delle condizioni ambientali di temperatura e umidità relativa. Le equazioni che calcolano la germinazione delle dei conidi di entrambi i funghi sono state sviluppate sulla base di dati presenti in bibliografia. Un secondo modello meccanicistico è stato sviluppato per Pseudoperonospora cubensis, agente causale della peronospora delle cucurbitacee. Il modello calcola la data di comparsa dei sintomi e la probabilità del superamento di determinate soglie di gravità della malattia, sulla base di sotto-processi dell’infezione. Il passaggio da uno stato dell’infezione al successivo è dipendente dalle condizioni ambientali. Entrambi i modelli sono stati validati confrontando i dati ottenuti dai modelli con dati indipendenti rilevati in coltivazioni del nord Italia. / Cucurbits are potentially affected by more than 200 diseases of diverse etiologies, so a good disease management is crucial to reduce the risk of high yield losses in terms of quantity and quality. Among the more important diseases there are powdery and downy mildew. Podosphaera xanthii and Golovinomyces cichoracearum are the causal agents of cucurbit powdery mildew. The effect of temperature on conidial germination was studied in controlled condition at 6 constant temperature (from 10 to 35°C, step 5°C) for 3 to 72 hours. Optima temperature for conidial germination, infection and sporulation were 24.4, 25.7 and 21.3°C respectively for P. xanthii and 17.9, 17.3 and 16.2°C for G. cichoracearum. A mechanistic model was developed for the risk posed by P. xanthii and G. cichoracearum to cause cucurbit powdery mildew. The model simulates germination on infected leaves on the base of environmental conditions of temperature and relative humidity. Equation regulating spore germination of both fungi were developed using published data. Another mechanistic model was develop also for Pseudoperonospora cubensis, causal agent of cucurbit downy mildew. The model calculates the symptoms appearance and the probability of overtaking severity threshold based on sub-processes of infection. Changes from one state of the infection to the following one depend on environmental conditions. Both models were validated by comparing model outputs with independent data sets collected in fields located in the north of Italy.

Development of fungicide resistance in fungal and oomycete pathogens is a serious problem in grape production. Quinoxyfen is a fungicide widely used against grape powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator). In 2013, E. necator isolates with reduced quinoxyfen sensitivity (designated as quinoxyfen lab resistance or QLR) were detected in Virginia. Field trials were conducted in 2014, 2015, and 2016 at the affected vineyard to determine to what extent quinoxyfen might still contribute to disease control. Powdery mildew control by quinoxyfen was good, similar to, or only slightly less, than that provided by myclobutanil and boscalid in all three years. The frequency of QLR in vines not treated with quinoxyfen declined only slowly over the three years, from 65% to 46%. Information about the mode of action of quinoxyfen is limited; previous research suggests that quinoxyfen interferes with the signal transduction process. We profiled the transcriptomes of QLR and sensitive isolates in response to quinoxyfen treatment, providing support for this hypothesis. Additional transcriptional targets of quinoxyfen were revealed to be involved in the positive regulation of the MAPK signaling cascade, pathogenesis, and sporulation activity. Grape downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola), another important grape pathogen, is commonly controlled by phosphite fungicides. A field trial and laboratory bioassays were conducted to determine whether P. viticola isolates from vineyards with suspected control failures showed reduced sensitivity against phosphite fungicides. Prophyt applied at 14-day intervals under high disease pressure provided poor downy mildew control in the field. Next-generation sequencing technologies were utilized to identify 391,930 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and generated a draft P. viticola genome assembly at ~130 megabase (Mb). Finally, field isolates of P. viticola collected from a Virginia vineyard with suspected mandipropamid control failure were bioassayed. The EC50 values of the isolates were >240 μg.ml-1 for mandipropamid, well above the field rate. The PvCesA3 gene of two resistant isolates was sequenced revealing that these isolates had a GGC-to-AGC substitution at codon 1105, the same mutation that has been found associated with CAA resistance elsewhere. / PHD

This study was undertaken to determine the sensitivity of grape downy mildew (DM, Plasmopara viticola) and powdery mildew (PM, Erysiphe necator) to commonly used single-site fungicides in Virginia and nearby states. DM and PM isolates were collected from 2005 to 2007. In grape leaf disc bioassays, 92% of the DM isolates were QoI (azoxystrobin)-resistant, but none were resistant to mefenoxam. Eighty-two percent of the PM isolates were QoI-resistant, but none were resistant to boscalid and quinoxyfen. The frequency of the G143A point mutation, which confers high levels of QoI resistance, was quantified in DM and PM isolates by real-time PCR. Most of the QoI-resistant DM and PM isolates contained >95% of the 143A allele. QoI-sensitive DM isolates contained less than 1% of 143A. One out of 145 and 14 out of 154 QoI-resistant DM and PM isolates (able to grow on azoxystrobin concentration ï ³ 1 µg/ml), respectively, contained less than 1% 143A. Most PM isolates exhibited reduced sensitivity to five DMI fungicides when compared to a sensitive subgroup (n=9) and compared to published reports for unexposed populations; the resistance factor (median EC50 of the entire isolate collection divided by median EC50 of sensitive subgroup) was highest for tebuconazole (360) and myclobutanil (350), followed by triflumizole (79), triadimefon (61), and fenarimol (53). Sensitivities to all five DMI fungicides, but also azoxystrobin, were moderately to strongly correlated (pairwise r-values ranging from 0.60 to 0.88). / Master of Science in Life Sciences

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1978 H63 / Master of Science

Atualmente, a videira Niagara Rosada é a variedade de uva de mesa mais cultivada no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Contudo, sua produtividade e custo de produção têm sido afetados pela ocorrência de doenças fúngicas, principalmente o míldio, causado pelo fungo Plasmopara viticola. Para o controle dessa doença, têm sido feitas pulverizações com fungicidas, as quais muitas vezes em excesso. Dentre as variáveis meteorológicas que influenciam a ocorrência de doenças fúngicas nas plantas, a duração do período de molhamento (DPM) é uma das mais importantes. A presença de molhamento sobre a superfície das plantas provê a água requerida pelos patógenos para o processo de germinação e infecção do tecido foliar. Visando a subsidiar sistemas agrometeorológicos de alerta fitossanitário, cuja finalidade é possibilitar a racionalização do uso de fungicidas, os objetivos do presente estudo foram: determinar a posição da videira com a DPM mais longa e sua relação com a DPM medida na posição padrão, a 30 cm de altura sobre o gramado; avaliar a estimativa da DPM sobre o gramado por diferentes modelos a partir de dados meteorológicos obtidos em uma estação meteorológica padrão e verificar as relações entre a DPM estimada para o gramado e a DPM medida no vinhedo; e correlacionar a epidemiologia do míldio (P. viticola) durante o ciclo da videira Niagara Rosada, sem controle químico, com as variáveis DPM medida no vinhedo (posição da videira com a DPM mais longa), DPM estimada na posição padrão sobre o gramado pelo melhor modelo, assim como com outras variáveis meteorológicas. A DPM foi medida em posição padrão sobre o gramado e em quatro diferentes posições da videira: topo da planta com a face superior do sensor voltada para sudoeste e nordeste (Topo-SW e Topo-NE) e altura dos cachos de uva com a face superior do sensor voltada para sudoeste e nordeste (Dossel-SW e Dossel-NE). A epidemiologia do míldio foi avaliada sem controle químico, utilizando-se escala de notas de 0 a 4, com nove níveis de severidade, para as folhas e cachos da videira. No estudo da variabilidade espacial da DPM, não houve diferença significativa entre a parte mais alta (1,6 m) e a parte mais baixa (1,0 m) da videira, assim como entre as faces sudoeste e nordeste das plantas. Ao se analisar a relação entre a DPM sobre o gramado e a DPM nas diferentes posições da videira obtida por meio de regressão linear simples, observou-se uma boa correlação, com R2 = 0,88. Na avaliação dos modelos de estimativa da DPM, o modelo CART foi o que teve o melhor desempenho sobre o gramado, sendo que esta estimativa também apresentou uma boa correlação com a DPM medida no interior do vinhedo. Isso permitiu concluir que é possível estimar a DPM no vinhedo de Niagara Rosada a partir de medidas ou estimativas da DPM na estação meteorológica padrão. Na modelagem do desenvolvimento do míldio, a DPM esteve presente nas melhores correlações com a severidade do míldio na videira Niagara Rosada, mostrando a grande importância desta variável para a ocorrência de doenças fúngicas nos vinhedos. / Nowadays, the \'Niagara Rosada\' grapevine is the most cultivated table grape variety in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. However, yield and production cost of this grapevine have been affected by fungal diseases, mainly downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola fungus. For controlling this disease, producers have been applied an excessive number of sprays with fungicides. Among the meteorological variables that influence the occurrence of fungal plant diseases, leaf wetness duration (LWD) is one of the most important. The wetness presence on plant surface provides the water required by the phatogens to germinate and to infect leaf tissues. Aiming to subsidize the plant disease warning systems, which has as purpose to rationalize the use of fungicides in the vineyards, the objectives of the present study were: to determine the canopy position of the Niagara Rosada table grape with longer LWD and its correlation with measured standard LWD over turfgrass; to estimate LWD over turfgrass considering different models with data from a standard weather station, and to evaluate the correlation between estimated LWD over turfgrass and LWD measured in the vineyard; and to correlate downy mildew occurrence in the vineyard, without chemical control, with measured LWD at the vineyard (canopy position with longer LWD), with estimated LWD in standard condition over turfgrass for the best model, and with other meteorological variables. LWD was measured in standard condition over turfgrass and in four different canopy positions of the vineyard: at the top of the plants, with sensors facing southwest and northeast (Top-SW and Top-NE), and at the grape bunches height, with sensors facing southwest and northeast (Bottom-SW and Bottom-NE). The downy mildew epidemiology during the grapevine cycle was evaluated without chemical control, using scores ranging from 0 to 4, with nine severity levels, for leaves and bunches of grapevine. When the spatial variability of LWD was studied, no significant difference was observed between the top (1.6 m) and the bottom (1.0 m) of the canopy and also between the southwest and northeast face of the plants. The analysis of the relationship between standard LWD over turfgrass and crop LWD in different positions of the grape canopy showed a define correlation (R2 = 0.88). Among the LWD estimative methods, CART was the one with the best performance to estimate LWD over turfgrass. The results from this model also presented a good correlation with measured LWD inside the vineyard, showing that LWD can be estimated for this crop with data from a nearby standard weather station. For the downy mildew modeling, LWD also present the best correlations with disease severity in the \'Niagara Rosada\' vineyard, showing the great importance of this variable for fungal diseases occurrence in this crop.