Timing of fungicide application against Cercospora leaf spot disease based on aerial spore dispersal of Cercospora beticola in sugar beet

Cercospora leaf spot is an important foliar disease in sugar beet caused by Cercospora beticola. Tolerant cultivars are available, but application of fungicides is still mandatory for disease control. The timing of the fungicide application is crucial as it determines the outcome of disease epidemiology. A disease incidence (DI) of 5% is widely used as a threshold for fungicide application. Recently a method was developed that allows the quantification of aerial spore dispersal of C. beticola for measuring spore flight intensity. It was aimed in this study to prove if fungicide application based on spore flight might improve disease control compared to DI. In a field trial with artificial inoculation, a single fungicide application at the onset of spore flight slowed down disease development as indicated by reduced disease severity and aerial spore dispersal. However, it did not provide sufficient control in terms of sugar yield. Only a second fungicide application based on spore flight detection achieved an efficacy similar to two fungicide applications based on DI. In contrast, a single fungicide application based either on spore flight or DI was sufficient in two on-farm trials under natural infection with moderate disease pressure. This highlights the necessity of an early timed first fungicide application followed by a second application under high disease pressure induced by artificial inoculation. Although fungicide application based on spore flight achieved sufficient control success in on-farm trials, it seems not to improve disease control compared to the usage of DI as threshold.

Automated summary

Cercospora beticola causes a significant leaf spot disease in sugar beet. Although there are tolerant varieties, fungicide application is still necessary for disease control. The timing of fungicide application is crucial, and a disease incidence of 5% is widely used as a threshold. A recent study aimed to determine if fungicide application based on spore flight could improve disease control compared to using disease incidence as a threshold.