by Margaret McGrath, Beth Gugino, Kate Everts, Steve Rideout, Nathan Kleczewski, and Andy Wyenandt
2013 Fungicide Resistance Management Table for Cucurbit Downy and Powdery Mildew Control
Producing a high-quality cucurbit crop necessitates effectively managing downy mildew. This foliar disease is common in the mid-Atlantic and northeast because the pathogen produces a large quantity of asexual spores that are easily dispersed long distances by wind, which enables it to spread widely. Although the pathogen cannot survive between growing seasons where winter temperatures kill cucurbit crops, it moves throughout the eastern USA each year via its asexual spores. The pathogen does not affect fruit directly; however, affected leaves die prematurely which results in fewer fruit and/or fruit of low quality (poor flavor, sunscald, poor storability). [Read more…]