Comparison of New Fungicides for Management of Downy Mildew of Broccoli in 1999

Abstract

Downy mildew of broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage is caused by the fungus Peronospora parasitica. Cool moist environmental conditions favor the development of downy mildew on these crops. Several potential new fungicides were evaluated for control of this disease on broccoli in 1999. The final severity of downy mildew in this trial was moderately high. Significant reduction in disease severity compared to nontreated plants was achieved by application of standard compounds such as Aliette, Ridomil Gold+maneb, maneb and Trilogy as well as nonregistered chemistries including Acrobat, Actigard, Curzate, Flint, Quadris, Serenade, Sovran, BAS 500, DPX-KP481 and RH-7281. The future registration and subsequent availability of one or more of these new chemistries for broccoli and related crops could enhance the overall level of disease control as well as help minimize the risk of development of resistance to fungicides used to manage downy mildew.