Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a widespread fungal disease that affects a broad spectrum of plants and crops. It is caused by various fungi, primarily from genera like Erysiphe, Podosphaera, and Sphaerotheca.

This troublesome foliar disease earned its name from the distinctive white or greyish powder-like coating it leaves on infected plant surfaces. A telltale sign: leaves and stems look as if they’ve been dusted in icing sugar, makes it one of the easiest plant diseases to spot.

Without safe, sustainable and effective options to protect different crops, pests and diseases will render the harvest inedible and unsellable. It is estimated that farmers worldwide lose up to 23 percent of their crops to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew each year, with a further 20 percent then lost post-harvest.

In the five most important calorie crops – rice, wheat, corn, soybeans and potatoes – fungal infections have been estimated to cause yield losses that could feed at least 600 million people every day for a year.

Scientists say these effects will likely worsen under climate change. Warmer temperatures and changing rainfall patterns expand the footprint where disease-causing fungi can occur and thrive, and warmer temperatures create more opportunities for them to evolve.

Typical symptoms of powdery mildew across vegetables, field crops and ornamentals include:

• White, powdery spots on leaves, stems, and sometimes fruits
• Yellowing and curling of leaves
• Stunted growth
• Premature leaf drop
• Reduced quality and yield

The symptoms appear on leaves, shoots, buds, thorns, peduncles and flowers as a powdery, whitish growth (mycelium, conidiophores and spores) of the mildew fungus.

Severe mildew damage reduces leaf growth, aesthetic value of plants, photosynthetic efficiency and thereby plant growth. Plants can be severely stunted if they are heavily infected early in the growing season. When the environmental conditions are favourable, the affected leaves may fall prematurely.

Symptoms can vary slightly depending on the crop, the specific fungal species and environmental conditions. Early detection is key for effective management of powdery mildew across all crops.

With diseases often evolving faster than the ability to contain or control them in crops, continuing to develop innovative solutions for growers to use is important for addressing widespread issues, such as powdery mildew.

Farmers around the world need to grow higher yields of healthy, sustainable crops to feed a growing population in increasingly unpredictable conditions with a limited number of solutions to keep their crops healthy and disease-free.

New technology in crop protection provides an effective tool to combat crop diseases like powdery mildew, enhancing crop yields and sustainability.

The groundbreaking MIRAVIS™ Duo fungicide from Syngenta gives excellent control of powdery mildew. The product's increased defense against pests and diseases, coupled with the higher yield capabilities are thanks to the market leading ADEPIDYN® technology (trademark for the active ingredient pydiflumetofen).

The next-generation fungicide is based on a unique molecule that protects multiple types of crops against many different diseases. Long-lasting and potent, it has a low application rate but is far more effective than conventional products on the market.

This efficient fungicide means crops are better able to withstand disease pressures, meaning when they are harvested, they are healthier, and yields are higher. That means growers can achieve better prices for their crops, offering economic security and peace of mind.

Growers worldwide employ diverse strategies to prevent powdery mildew in their crops. Cultural practices form the foundation, including proper spacing between plants for better air circulation, avoiding overhead irrigation, removing infected debris, crop rotation, and strategic pruning. These methods create an environment less conducive to fungal growth.

Integrated disease management builds on these practices, incorporating regular monitoring, disease forecasting models, and a range of interventions. These may include organic fungicides like sulfur, biological control agents such as Bacillus subtilis, and targeted chemical fungicide applications.

Selecting resistant varieties offers significant benefits, including reduced fungicide use, lower costs, decreased environmental impact, and more consistent yields. Examples include powdery mildew-resistant cucumbers and wheat varieties with Pm genes.

Innovative approaches continue to emerge, such as UV-C light treatments in greenhouses, silicon-based fertilizers to enhance plant defences, and companion planting with naturally fungicidal plants. Environmental management, particularly in controlled settings, focuses on humidity control, optimizing plant nutrition, and careful irrigation management.

The most effective strategies integrate multiple approaches, combining cultural practices, resistant varieties, biological controls, and fungicides. By tailoring these strategies to specific crops, local conditions, and available resources, growers can effectively manage powdery mildew while minimizing environmental impact and production costs.

Ultimately, a holistic, adaptive approach is key to successfully preventing and managing powdery mildew across diverse agricultural settings.

To prevent a disease developing resistance it is important to alternate between different active ingredients. Growers should pay attention to the mode of action the product has.

Rotation of products is a key strategy but it’s important those products have different FRAC codes, as this can reduce further resistance development. Ensure your program takes this into account.

Syngenta solutions for powdery mildew

Fungicides

Biologicals