Duration of Downy Mildew Control Achieved with Fungicides on Cucumber under Florida Field Conditions

Abstract

Cucurbit production in Florida is impacted by downy mildew on a yearly basis. Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM), caused by Pseudoperonospora cubensis, is one of the most devastating cucurbit diseases and can lead to complete yield loss. Nearly continuous production of cucurbits occurs temporally throughout Florida, which puts extensive pressure on the pathogen population to select for individuals that are resistant to current fungicides labeled for CDM. Loss of efficacy due to fungicide resistance developing is becoming a major concern for Florida cucurbit growers who rely on these products to manage CDM. This study was established to evaluate the field activity of eleven currently utilized fungicides by determining their duration of activity when applied at various intervals for the management of CDM in cucumber under Florida field conditions. By comparing levels of percent CDM control and area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) values, the fungicide’s duration of field activity was established. Field activities were less than one week for dimethomorph and fluopicolide; one week for cymoxanil; one to two weeks for chlorothalonil and mancozeb; two weeks for ethaboxam; two to three weeks for propamocarb , cyazofamid, and ametoctradin + dimethomorph; and two to four weeks for oxathiapiprolin and fluazinam. Knowledge of duration of field activity can potentially improve the development of CDM management programs and slow resistance selection.