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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
Regional IPM Grants (S-RIPM) |
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Project Title:
Integrated management of cucurbit downy mildew |
Project Director (PD):
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Lead State: NC Lead Organization: North Carolina State University |
| Extension Funding: $41,201 |
| Research Funding: $99,012 |
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Start Date: Jul-01-2006 End Date: Jun-30-2008 |
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Pests Involved: downy mildew |
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Site/Commodity: cucurbits |
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Summary:
Downy mildew is an important disease of cucurbits (cantaloupe, cucumber, pumpkin, squash and watermelon). In 2004 and 2005, downy mildew became the single most important problem for cucumber production in the eastern U.S. Since the late 1960s cucumber growers could rely on host plant resistance to control this important disease. However, this resistance was grossly inadequate in the recent epidemics and growers lost an estimated 40% of the 2004 crop in NC, VA, DE and MD ($20 million). The problem was compounded by what appears to be fungicide resistance to mefenoxam and strobilurin-based fungicides.
A forecasting system has been in place since 1998 which predicts movement of the causal agent (Pseudoperonspora cubensis) from south to north as the season progresses. This system is based on the longstanding observation that P. cubensis does not produce oospores and therefore must be re-introduced each year into areas where hard frosts occur. The objectives of this proposal are to improve and validate the downy mildew forecasting system and to document fungicide performance over a wide geographic area. This will be accomplished by establishing sentinel plots of cucurbit host differentials (17 locations in 7 states) in order to accurately determine the dates of spore movement and the pathotype of P. cubensis involved. Each state will also document fungicide performance under field conditions. Improvements to the forecasting system will incorporate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map host distribution, historical weather, current weather and current forecasts and provide a risk assessment that incorporates these variables.
This proposal has broad stakeholder input from the cucurbit industry including the four major vegetable seed companies, 2 state commodity boards and one national commodity board. New developments and findings are likely to have immediate impact on the industry because of the established channels of communication of the downy mildew forecasting system and the extension programs of the PD and collaborators in 7 states.
Objectives: 1. Improve a downy mildew forecasting system, 2. Validate a downy mildew forecasting system, and 3. Document fungicide resistance over a wide geographic area. |
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