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EfficacyofOrganicFungicidesforControlofPowderyMildew,DownyMildew,andPlectosporiuminPumpkins

TrevorSimmons

MajorProject/ReportsubmittedtothefacultyofVirginiaPolytechnicInstituteandStateUniversityinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeof

MasterofAgriculturalandLifeSciences

In

PlantSciencesandPestManagement

AntonBaudoin,DepartmentofPlantPathology,Physiology,andWeedScience,Chair

DavidLangston,TidewaterAgriculturalResearchandExtensionCenter

GregoryWelbaum,DepartmentofHorticulture

May2,2017

Blacksburg,VA

Keywords:organicpumpkins,organiccucurbits,organicfungicides,powderymildew,plectosporium

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Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………3

MaterialsandMethods…………………………………………………………………………………….7

ResultsandDiscussion………………………………………………………………………………………9

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………11

Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………………………...15

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Abstract:

IncreasedagritourisminthestateofVirginiahasledtoanincreaseinthepumpkinplantingacreageforpick-your-ownoperationsacrossthecommonwealth.Virginiapumpkinproducersfaceyieldlossesfromnumeroussources,includingseveralfungaldiseases.Theobjectiveofthisresearchwastocomparetheefficacyofcertifiedorganicfungicidesagainstaconventionalfungicideprogramforthecontrolofpowderymildew,downymildew,andplectosporium.CultivarWartyGoblinpumpkinsweregrowninRockville,Virginiaduringthe2016cropseason.Fivedifferenttreatments(water,Kaligreen,Nordox75,Regalia,andBravo+Quintec/Proline)wereassessedfortheircontrolofpowderymildew,downymildew,andplectosporium.DiseaseobservationsandtreatmentsweremadeweeklyfromAugust12–September15.Diseaseratingsforpowderymildewshowedthatconventionalfungicidesprovidedthegreatestcontrol,withorganicproductsKaligreenandNordox(thelatterappliedatanabove-labelrate)providingnext-bestcontrol,statisticallyequivalentinsomeanalyses.Regaliadidnotprovidesignificantlybetterdiseasecontrolthanuntreatedwatercontrols.Plectosporiumdiseaseseveritywasreducedthemostinplotsreceivingconventionalfungicides,withNordoxbeingalmostaseffective.Kaligreenprovidednocontrolofplectosporium.Regaliaprovidedmodestcontrol,whichinsomeanalyseswassignificantlybetterthantheuntreatedcontrol.Downymildewpressurewasextremelylimited,andnosignificantdifferencesindiseaseincidencewereseenamongthetreatments.Inconclusion,severalofthetestedorganicmaterialsprovedtobestatisticallyaseffectiveastheconventionalfungicidesincontrollingbothpowderymildewandplectosporium,althoughconventionalfungicidesprovidednumericallysuperiorcontrolforalldiseases.

Introduction:

Commercialproductionofcucurbits,includingpumpkins,reliesheavilyonuseofchemicalinputs,includingsyntheticfungicides.Thesefungicidesareusedtopreventandcontrolthespreadofpathogensthatdecreaseplantvigorandreduceyield.Asmoreislearnedaboutthepotentialnegativeconsequencesofthesechemicalsintheenvironment,producersarelookingtofindlessharmfultreatmentoptionsinresponsetogrowingconsumerpressure.Thefungaldiseasespowderymildew,downymildew,andplectosporiumallmaylimitproductionofcucurbitsintheUnitedStatesandaroundtheworld.Historically,muchoftheacademicresearchforcontroloftheseorganismshasfocusedonsyntheticchemistries,withlessattentiongiventobiologicalornaturallyderivedproducts.Thefocusofthisinvestigationwastocomparediseasecontrolefficacyofseveralorganicallyapprovedtreatmentoptionswiththatofaconventionalfungicideprogram.

PowderyMildew

Powderymildewsimpactseveralimportantvegetablespecies,withcucurbitsbeingsomeofthemostseverelyaffected.Cucurbitpowderymildewcanbecausedbytwomajorcausalorganisms.Thespeciesnowthoughttobemostcommoninthemid-AtlanticUnitedStatesisPodosphaeraxanthii(synonym:SphaerothecafuligineaorS.fusca);asecondspecies(or,accordingtosome,severalspecies),Erysiphecichoracearum,Golovinomycescichoracearum,G.orontii,orE.orontii(Perez-Garciaetal.2009)is

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presentinotherregionsbutisrarelyfoundintheeasternUSA(McGrath2011;Shishkoff,personalcommunication).Powderymildewincucurbitsisafungaldiseasemarkedbywhitepowderylesionsthatappearontheupperandlowerleafsurfaces,petioles,andstemsoftheplantfamilyCucurbitaceae.Thetypicalwhitelesionsseeninpowderymildewaremostlyduetoreproductiveconidiaproducedbytheinfectingfungus(Glawe2008).

Powderymildewsareobligateparasitesthatrequirehosttissuetoevolvethroughtheirlifecycle.Unfortunatelyforresearchers,thischaracteristicmakesresearchdifficultasstudiescannotbeconductedinartificialmedia.Furtherdifficultiesinpowderymildewresearchresultfromexistenceofbothsexual(teleomorph)andasexual(anamorph)reproductivemethods(Glawe2008).

Infectionbypowderymildewoccursastheresultofascosporesorconidialandingonasuitablehost.Thesestructuresthengerminatetoformagermtubethatexpandstoformahypha,withstructurescalledhaustoria,thatpenetrateintothehostcells.Thepenetrationintohostcelltissueisenabledbyturgorpressureandenzymaticactivity(Glawe2008).Infectionmaybetheresultofeitherlocalorlongrangesporedispersal.

Onacommerciallevel,powderymildewisoftencontrolledand/orpreventedwithmultipleapplicationsofsyntheticfungicidesand/orplantbreedingtechniquesthatproduceresistantcultivars.Mostextensionservicesrecommendaprogramrotatingfungicideclasseswitha7-10-daysprayscheduleoncediseasedetectionhasoccurred(McGrath2011),(Mid-AtlanticCommercialVegetableProductionGuide2016).Unfortunately,severalinstancesoffungicideresistancehavebeendocumentedincucurbitpowderymildew,includingresistancetothestrobilurinfungicides(Ishiietal.2001).

Furtherissueswithcontrolofpowderymildewresultfromfavoredinfectionlocationofabaxialleafsurfacesvsadaxialleafsurfaces(McGrath2001).Hyphalgrowthontheabaxialleafsurfacesishardertocontrolasnon-systemicfungicidesmayhavelessappliedcoverageonundersideofleafsurfaces.Higherapplicationratesandblower-stylesprayersareoftenrecommendedforcompleteplantcoverage.Duetothefactthatmostoftheplantinfectionbypowderymildewoccursontheexteriorofleafsurfaces,contactfungicidesprovideexcellentcontrolofpowderymildewprovidedgoodcoverageisachieved.Numerousbiological/organiccontactcontrolsexist,makingcontrolofpowderymildewinpumpkinspotentiallypossiblewithouttheuseofsyntheticfungicides(Keinath&Dubose2012)

Resistancetosyntheticfungicidesandincreasingdemandforlimitedpesticideresiduesonfoodcrops/organicproductionhavecausedanincreasedinterestinorganicallyapprovedfungicides.(Reuvenietal1996).

Plectosporium

Plectosporiumblightisarelativelynewdiseaseofthecucurbitfamily,causedbytheorganismPlectosporiumtabacinum(formerlyalsoknownasMicrodochiumtabacinumandFusariumtabacinum).DamagetonumerouscucurbitspeciesbythisorganismhavebeenobservedinEuropeandAsia,

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howeverthestrainfoundintheUnitedStatesmostlyimpactsgourds,pumpkins,summersquash,andzucchini(Boucher2012).PlectosporiumblightwasfirstfoundintheUnitedStatesin1988inTennesseeandhasspreadrapidlythroughouttheeasternUnitedStates(Boucher2012).PlectosporiumblightwasfirstdocumentedinVirginiain1994whenitappearedinzucchiniandpumpkinfields(Hansen2009).

Plectosporiumblightinfectsthefruit,leaves,andstemsofthepumpkinplantwithsmall,diamond-shapedwhitelesions.Theselesionsmayfirstappearonpetiolesorleafveins.Thelesionsmayenlargeandsevereinfestationmaycausecompletedefoliationand/orturnthepumpkinvines/stemscompletelywhite.Whitelesionsmayalsoappearonfruit,withthefruitstempossiblyturningcompletelywhite.(Hansen2009).Lesionsonthefruitandhandlespecificallyinpumpkinscanrenderfruitunmarketableandalsoallowforsecondaryinfectionbyfruitrotsthatresultinfurthercroplossesandreducedshelflife.Yieldlossescanbeashighas100%inyearsthatfavordiseasedevelopment(Boucher2012).

AsPlectosporiumisarelativelynewthreattocucurbits,verylittleisknownaboutitsreproductivecycle.WhatisknownisthatPlectosporiumproducestwo-celledsporesthatappearcylindricaltoellipsoidalinshapeandareslightlycurved(Babadoost2012).Publishedliteraturehasconflictingopinionsonfavorableweatherconditionsforthisfungus.Certainsourcessaythatdiseaseisfavoredundercool,wetweather(Boucher2012),whereothersclaimthatPlectosporiumisfavoredunderwarm,wetweather(UniversityofMassachusettsExtension2013).ThePlectosporiumfunguscanpersistoncropresidueforseveralyearsandmayalsobedispersedlongdistancesthroughaerialspores(Boucher2012).Diseasemayalsospreadthroughrainsplash(UniversityofMassachusettsExtension2013).

NumerousextensionservicesrecommendtheuseofcroprotationandchemicalfungicidesforcontrollingPlectosporium(UniversityofMassachusettsExtension2013),(Babadoost2012),(Hansen2009).Thepracticeofno-tillplantingintoacovercrophasalsobeenshowntodecreasetheincidenceofPlectosporiumblightanddecreaseneedforfungicideapplications(Everts2002)

DownyMildew

DownymildewofcucurbitsiscausedbytheorganismPseudoperonosporacubensis(Berkeley&Curtis)Rostovtsev.Thisorganismcausesdownymildewincucumber,pumpkin,watermelon,andsquash(Savoryetal.2011).Theorganismwasdiscoveredin1868inCubaanddescribedbyresearchersBerkeleyandCurtis.Downymildewisoneofthemajoreconomicpestsofcucurbitsaroundtheworld(Lebeda&Cohen2011).P.cubensisisanobligateparasiteandcannotsurvivewithouthostplantmaterialexceptasoospores(Lebeda&Cohen2011).Downymildewutilizesbothasexualandsexualreproductionfordiseaseproliferation.Althoughbothtypesofreproductionexist,sexualreproductionisextremelyrareandnotseenasamajorsourceofinfectionintheUnitedStates(Lebeda&Cohen2011).Asexualspores,orsporangia,arethemainsourceofinfection.Sporangiaaredistributedbywindorwatersplash(Lebeda&Cohen2011).Inthepresenceoffreewater,sporangiareleasezoosporesthatpossesslocomotiveappendages,calledflagella,thatareusedtomovetowardsstomatalopeningsinleaftissue.Onceastomatalopeningisfound,azoosporeformsagermtubethatisabletopenetrateinto

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newhosttissue.Afterinitialinfection,thepathogendevelopsinsideoftheplanttissue(Colucci&Holmes2010).

Althoughthesamecausalorganisminfectsdifferentmembersofthecucurbitfamily,symptomscanvarybasedontheenvironmentandcropspecies.Inpumpkins,downymildewformsyellowlesionsonleavesthatmayeventuallyturnbrown(Egel,2008).Theleaflesionsresultinlossofphotosyntheticabilityoftheplant,withacorrespondinglossinyield.Unlikepowderymildew,nodownymildew-resistantcultivarsofpumpkinsarecommerciallyavailable.Agronomicpracticesthatlimittheamountoffreewateronleaftissue,suchasirrigatinginthemorning,mayhelpsloworpreventtheprogressionofdownymildew.Ifinoculumispresentandconditionsareidealforinfection,thelackofresistantcultivarsmakeschemicalcontroltheprimarycontrolmethodforgrowers.

Downymildewfavorswarm,humidweathermakingthesoutheastUnitedStatesanidealenvironment.Eachyear,downymildewmigratesnorthwardfrommoresouthernregionslikeFloridaandGeorgiaallthewaytotheNewEnglandandGreatLakeStates.Downymildewisnotabletosurviveoutsideofahostandrequiresthecontinuousproductionareasofthesoutheastandgreenhousecultivationtoproduceinoculumthatmigratesnorthwardasseasonaltemperatureswarm(Colucci&Holmes2010).

Aforecastingmodelmanagedbyseverallandgrantuniversitiesisavailableathttp://cdm.ipmpipe.org/.Thetooltracksreportedcucurbitdownymildewinfectionssothatgrowerscanmakepreventativefungicideapplicationsandincreasescoutingeffortswheninoculumismostlikelytobepresent.Althoughthistrackerisavaluabletool,downymildewsporesareveryeasilydispersedintheairandcantravelgreatdistancesbetweeninfectionsites,withdocumentedspreadofgreaterthan800kmbetweeninfectedfields(Ojiambo&Holmes2011).Forthatreason,extensionrecommendationsgenerallysuggestfrequentscoutingandpreventativefungicideapplications.Afterdiseaseisobserved,suggestedsprayprogramsrotatefungicidechemistriesona7-dayorshorterschedule(Wyenandt2016);(MidAtlanticcommercialvegetableproductionguide2016).

KnownEfficacyofTestedMaterials

Plectosporium:

Comparedtodownymildewandpowderymildew,Plectosporiumhasbeenthesubjectoflimitedresearchinvestigatingorganiccontrolmethods.Thelimiteddataavailabilityisunderstandablegiventhemore-recentdiscoveryofthediseasecomparedtopowderyanddownymildew.Noneoftheorganicagentstested(Kaligreen,Nordox,Regalia)claimanyefficacyagainstPlectosporiumontheirlabels.Bravo(chlorothalonil)hasshownpartialcontrolofPlectosporiuminprevioustrialsandisrecommendedbyseveraluniversityextensionprogramsaspartofafungicideprogram(Miller,Mera,&Baysal-Gurel,2012),(MidAtlanticcommercialvegetableproductionguide2016).QuintecandProlineconventionalfungicidesusedinthisexperimentarenotlabeledforcontrolofPlectosporium.OnestudyhaslimiteddatashowingeffectivenessinreducingPlectosporiumincidencewithacombinedsprayofQuintecandPristine,neitherofwhicharelabeledforPlectosporium(Egel,&Hoke,2010).

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PowderyMildew

Alltestedmaterialsinthisexperimentarelabeledforcontrolofpowderymildew.KaligreenandRegaliahaveproveneffectivenessincontrollingpowderymildewincucurbits(Everts&Newark,2013),(McGrath&Shishkoff,1999),(Reuveni,Agapov,&Reuveni,1995).TheliteratureprovidedseveralexamplessupportingtheefficacyofKaligreen.NofieldtrialdatacouldbefoundforNordoxcontrolofpowderymildewincucurbits;however,otherOMRI-listedcopper-basedproductshaveshownefficacy(Marineetal.2016).TheconventionalfungicidesBravo,Quintec,andProlinearealllabeledforpowderymildewandextensivedataareavailableshowingtheirefficacyandtheyarerecommendedbyseveraluniversityextensionprograms.

DownyMildew:

TestedmaterialsRegaliaandNordoxarebothlabeledforcontrolofdownymildewincucurbits.NodatawerefoundtosupportRegaliashavinganyefficacyinreducingdownypressure.NofieldtrialdatacouldbefoundforNordoxcontrolofdownymildewincucurbits,however,otherOMRI-listedcopper-basedproductshaveshownefficacy(Everts&Newark,2013).Coppercontainingcompoundsareeffectivetreatmentsforseveralfungalfoliardiseasesandhavebeenusedtotreatthemforalongtime.TheconventionalfungicideBravoisrecommendedaspartofasprayprogramforcontrolofdownymildewbyseveraluniversityextensionprograms(MidAtlanticcommercialvegetableproductionguide2016).QuintecandProlinearenotlabeledfordownymildewcontrolincucurbits.

MaterialsandMethods

Thefieldexperimentwasconductedduringthe2016growingseasonatLloydFamilyFarmsinRockville,Virginia.ThesoilattheexperimentalsitewasaCecilFineSandyLoam.Topreparetheexperimentalfield,herbicideandfertilizerwereappliedaccordingtoVirginiaCooperativeExtensionrecommendations.Additionalhandremovalofweedswasperformedweeklyasneeded.FiverowsofcultivarWartyGoblinwereplantedwithintra-rowspacingof4feetandinter-rowspacingof9feetonJuly1st,2016.

Toensure100%stand,plotswereplantedatahigher-than-normalpopulationdensity.Finalplotdensitywashigherthandesiredduetoresearchertimeconstraintsregardingthinning.Every4’withineachrowtherewere2pumpkinplants,insteadof1asisthecommerciallyrecommendedpractice.Althoughdifferentfromcommercialrecommendations,thismethodofover-seedingtoensure100%standiscommonpracticeforthefarmonwhichresearchwasperformed.

Arandomizedblockdesignwasusedtoassign4replicatesofthe5treatmentswithintheexperimentalfield.Chemicalapplicationsweremadeusingabackpacksprayerwithahandheld4-nozzlesprayboomconfigurationwithTeejet8002VStipsspacedat18”.Allchemicalswereappliedusingacarrierrateof20gallonsofwaterperacre(GPA)at35PSI.Sprayvolumeaccuracywasensuredbyapressuregaugeontheboomandsprayvolumecatchtest.Diseaseobservationsandtreatmentsweremadeweeklyfrom

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August5–September15.

VisualdiseaseratingsweremadeweeklyfromAugust5thtoSeptember15th.Diseaseratingsrepresentpercentofplantfoliage/stemsshowingsymptomsofdisease;thisincludestheundersidesofleaves,stemsandappearanceoflesionsonfruit.Diseaseratingsweremadeforthe4centrallylocatedpumpkinplantsintheresearchplots,tooffsetpotentialimpactsfromover-sprayinadjacentplots.Diseaseratingsweremadebasedon%ofplanttissuesshowinglesions.Thecropwasscoutedweeklytomonitorfordiseasepressure.ChemicalapplicationsweremadeaccordingtoTable1.

JMP13wasusedforstatisticalanalysis.Individualdiseaseratingsshoweddistinctrelationshipsbetweenmeansandstandarddeviations,andnosingletransformationperformedbestwithrespecttohomogenizingvariances.Areasunderthediseaseprogresscurve(AUDPC)werecalculatedforthelast3weeks;diseaseratingsforeachplotweresummedoverthethreeweeks,andequalityofvariancewastested.Threeanalysesapproacheswerecompared.OneusedJMP’sFitYbyXplatformforaone-wayANOVAoflog-transformedAUDPCvalues,followedbymeansseparationusingTukey’sHSData=0.05.ThesecondapproachalsousedtheFitYbyXplatform,andfittedageneralizedlinearmodelusingaPoissondistribution.Thedataweresomewhatover-dispersed,andtheoverdispersionfactorwasusedtoadjusttheteststatistics.IndividualcontrastswerecomparedusingtheHolm-Bonferronicorrectiontoadjusttheoverallerrorrate.ThethirdapproachusedJMP’sFitModelplatform,andfittedamixedmodel,analyzingtheindividualratingsofweeks4through6asrepeatedmeasures,andconsideringTreatment,Block,andWeekasfixedandWeek*Blockasrandomvariables.

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Table1.(ApplicationDatesincludingProductsandRates)

Date

Water(control)

Kaligreen(PotassiumBicarbonate)ArystaLifeScienceNorthAmericaLLC

**Nordox75WG(83.9%CuprousOxide)MontereyAgResources

Regalia(5%ExtractofReynoutriasachalinensis)MarroneBioInnovations

ConventionalFungicidesBravoWeatherStik(chlorothalonil54%)

SyngentaProline(prothioconazole,41%)BayerCrop

ScienceQuintec(quinoxyfen22.58%)Dow

AgroSciencesPresidio(fluopicolide39.5%)Valent

8/5/2016 20GPAcarriervolumeonly

2.5lbs/acre 1.5lbs/acre 32oz/acre 32oz/acreBravo,4oz/acreQuintec

8/12/2016 20GPAcarriervolumeonly

2.5lbs/acre 1.5lbs/acre 32oz/acre 32oz/acreBravo,4oz/acreQuintec

*8/19/2016 20GPAcarriervolumeonly

2.5lbs/acre 1.5lbs/acre 32oz/acre 32oz/acreBravo,5.7oz/acreProline

8/26/2016 20GPAcarriervolumeonly

2.5lbs/acre 1.5lbs/acre 32oz/acre 32oz/acreBravo,4oz/acreQuintec

9/2/2016 20GPAcarriervolumeonly

2.5lbs/acre 1.5lbs/acre 32oz/acre 32oz/acreBravo,5.7oz/acreProline

9/9/2016 20GPAcarriervolumeonly

2.5lbs/acre 1.5lbs/acre 32oz/acre 32oz/acreBravo,4oz/acreQuintec

*Presidioappliedtoalltreatments(includingwatercontrol)atrateof4oz/acreon8/19/2016tocontroldownymildew.Downymildewwascontrolledtomaintainresearchfocusonpowderymildew.SubsequenttreatmentsofPresidiotocontroldownymildewwerenotmadeasthediseasedidnotprogressfurther.

**Nordox75WGwasmistakenlyappliedatahigherthanlabeledrate(1.5lb/Aratherthan1.25lb/A)duetoamisunderstandingabouttheformulationinvolved.

ResultsandDiscussion:

Weeklymeansofdiseaseseverityforweeks4through6areshowninTable2,alongwiththeresultsofthethreedifferentstatisticalanalyses.

DownyMildew:

Downymildewpressurewasextremelylimitedduetodryweatherandjudgingfromlackofdiseasedevelopmentelsewhereonthefarm.Presidiowasappliedtoalltreatments,includingwatercontrol,on8/19/2016(week2)tocontroldownymildew,inordertomaintainresearchfocusonpowderymildew/plectosporiumwhichappearedtohavegreaterpotentialfordiseasedevelopment.Nosignificantdifferencesindownymildewseveritywereseenbetweendifferentresearchplots.SubsequenttreatmentsofPresidiotocontroldownymildewwerenotmadeasthediseasedidnotprogressfurther.

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Table2:MeanDiseaseSeverity(%planttissueshowingdiseasesymptoms)Mean

separation*

Disease Treatment Week4 Week5 Week6 AUDPC 1 2 3PowderyMildew Water** 8 11 14 33 a a a Kaligreen,2.5lbs/acre 2 3 6 11 ab b b Regalia,32oz/acre 4 8 14 25 ab a a Nordox75,1.5lbs/acre 0 3 4 8 b b b Conventional*** 0 0 0 0 c c b DownyMildew Water** 2 6 6 Kaligreen,2.5lbs/acre 1 4 4 Regalia,32oz/acre 0 3 4 Nordox75,1.5lbs/acre 0 1 1 Conventional*** 0 1 1 Plectosporium Water** 21 33 54 108 a a a Kaligreen,2.5lbs/acre 26 36 45 108 a a a Regalia,32oz/acre 16 24 29 69 a b b Nordox75,1.5lbs/acre 9 9 11 28 b c c Conventional*** 6 6 6 19 b c d *Analysismethodandmeanseparation:1:AUDPC(log-transformed);2:AUDPCGLMwithHolm-

Bonferronicorrection;3:Repeatedmeasures,mixedmodel.Meansinsamecolumnwithsimilarlettersarenotsignificantlydifferentusingsignificancelevelofα=0.05(Tukey'sHSDMethod)

**alltreatmentsappliedusing20gallonswater/acre***Bravo32oz/A+Quintec4oz/A(Week1,2,4,6),Bravo32oz/A+Proline5.7oz/A(week3,5)

PowderyMildew:

Plantstreatedwiththeconventionalfungicidetreatments(Bravo+QuintecrotatedwithBravo+Proline)showedthemosteffectivepowderymildewcontrol.Regaliaprovidednosignificantcontrol.PlotstreatedwiththeorganictreatmentsNordoxandKaligreenplotsshowedsignificantlylessdiseasethanwatercontrolbutwerelesseffectivethanconventionalfungicidesintwoofthethreeanalyses.NostatisticallyobservabledifferencesindiseasedevelopmentwereseenbetweenplantstreatedwithwaterandRegalia.

Plectosporium:

Plantstreatedwithconventionalfungicidetreatmentshadtheleastamountofdisease.DiseasedevelopmentinplotstreatedwithNordoxshowednostatisticaldifferencefromthosetreatedwithconventionalfungicidesintwoofthethreeanalyses,andwerebetterthanRegaliainallanalyses.

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Regaliaprovidedslightdiseasecontrol,significantlydifferentfromwaterintwoofthethreeanalyses.Kaligreenprovidednodiseasecontrol.

ForbothpowderymildewandPlectosporium,theconventionalfungiciderotationofferedthegreatestprotectionfromdisease,butseveralorganicproductsoftenprovidedasignificantlevelofcontrolthatsometimes(NordoxagainstPlectosporium)wasstatisticallyequivalent.Thesedataarevaluableasitshowseffectivecontrolofbothdiseasescanbeaccomplishedwithpesticidesthatmaybelessharmfultohumanandenvironmentalhealth.

AbnormalchlorosisandnecrosiswerenoticedintheplotstreatedwithNordox.Thismayhavebeenduetoover-application;themaximumrateforNordox75is1.25lb/A,but1.5lb/Awasapplied.Thesymptomsresembledthoseofcoppertoxicityincucurbits:marginalchlorosisandsubsequentfoliarnecrosis.Chemicalanalysisofleaftissuewasnotperformedtoconfirmincreasedcopperconcentrationswithinleaftissue,butbasedonfieldobservationsitisbelievedthatNordoxcausedpartialdamagetoallplantsreceivingtreatment.TheobserveddamagecanbeseeninTable3,andAppendixFigures2and3.

CostsofdifferentmaterialsarecomparedinTable4.Thecostoftheorganicmaterialsissimilartotheconventionalproductsused.ThecostoftheNordoxtreatmentatthemaximumlabelrate(1.25lb/A)wouldhavebeen$63.75fortheseasoninsteadof$76.50,butitsefficacyatthatratemighthavebeensomewhatlower.Thetotalcostoftheconventionaltreatmentperacreishigherduetotheuseof2productstankmixedperapplicationintheconventionaltrialplotsvsonly1productperapplicationintheotherplots.

Table3.NordoxDamage(%leafareashowingchlorosisorchemicalinjury)**

Nordoxplot1 Nordoxplot2 Nordoxplot3 Nordoxplot42-Sep* 20 20 40 259-Sep 20 25 20 2515-Sep 20 25 30 25*NordoxdamagewasnotratedonAugust12,August19,August26

**Nordox75WGwasmistakenlyappliedatahigherthanlabeledrate(1.5lb/Aratherthan1.25lb/A)duetoamisunderstandingabouttheformulationinvolved.

ProjectLimitationsandFutureRecommendations

Improvementstothisresearchcouldbemadeinseveralareas.Increasedplotsizecouldprovidemorestatisticalrobustness,whilealsolimitingthepossibilityofspraydrift.ChemicalanalysisofplanttissuestodeterminecoppertoxicityfromNordoxwouldbebeneficialtothefutureuseofthisproductincucurbits,whilealsoexploringtheefficacyoflowerapplicationrates.Futureplotdesignmightincorporatelargerplotareasthatincluderoomfordesignatedwalkways/pathstoavoidplant

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destructionasfungicideapplicationsaremadeanddiseaseobservationsaremade.Additionalefficacymaybegainedbycombiningmultipleorganicproductssimilarlytothestandardpracticeof“tank-mixing”multipleconventionalfungicides.

Table4.Costcomparisonoftreatments

Product Unit Costperunit* rateapplied Costperacre SeasonCost(acre)**BravoWeatherStik gallon $47.00 32oz/acre $11.75

Proline gallon $587.00 5.7oz/acre $26.14Quintec ounce $3.25 4oz/acre $13.00ConventionalTotal 174.78*** Regalia gallon $65.00 32oz/acre $16.25 97.50Nordox lb $8.50 1.5lbs/acre $12.75 76.50Kaligreen lb $10.87 2.5lbs/acre $27.18 70.50*PricesareMSRPprovidedbymanufacturers/distributors.**Costof6applications/acre***Conventionalsprayprogramconsistingof6applicationsofBravo,2applicationsofProline,4applicationsofQuintec

Conclusion:

Fungicideefficacyincontrollingpowderymildewandplectosporiumblightwasobservedin2016.Severalorganicfungicidesshowedstatisticallysimilarabilitytocontrolbothdiseasesforseveralweeksduringthisstudy,althoughnotallorganiccontrolsprovidedstatisticallysignificantprotection.FarmerslookingtoutilizeorganicproductsorproductionmethodstoproducepumpkinsinVirginiashouldfindthatseveralofthetestedmaterialsmaybesuitableintheirfungicideprograms.Thecostsoftheorganicmaterialsshouldbecomparabletothecostsassociatedwithconventionalfungicides.

References

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Appendix:

AppendixFigure1:Plotlayoutusingrandomizedblockdesign.

Eachcellaboverepresents1“plot”.Each“plot”contained4setsof2plants,with4feetspacingbetweeneachsetof2plants.Each“plot”contained8plants.Each“row”consistedof32plants

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Figure2:SuspectedcoppertoxicityfromNordoxapplications.Noticemarginalchlorosis(8-26-2016)

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Figure3:SuspectedcoppertoxicityfromNordoxapplications.Rustcoloreddepositsareresiduesfromchemicalapplications(8-26-2016)

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Figure4:Plectosporiumlesionsonpumpkinvine(9-2-2016)

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Figure5:Researchplotsbeforemajordiseasepressure(8-19-2016)

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Figure6:Near-completedeathofvineduetoPlectosporium(9-9-2016)

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Figure7:Seedvarietyandlotusedinresearch