Field surveys were conducted in 3 major grapevine growing districts in Tamil Nadu viz., Coimbatore, Theni and Dindugal. The downy mildew infection on leaves was the highest (PDI 76.92 in Cumbum of Theni district. In the survey on the incidence of powdery mildew showed that the highest incidence of PDI on leaves, inflorescence and fruits in Cumbum of Theni with records of 65.49, 63.56, 61.23 per...

We developed a PCR-based assay to quantify trichothecene-producing Fusarium based on primers derived from the trichodiene synthase gene (Tri5). The primers were tested against a range of fusarium head blight (FHB) (also known as scab) pathogens and found to amplify specifically a 260-bp product from 25 isolates belonging to six trichothecene-producing Fusarium species. Amounts of the trichothec...

Patel, J. S., Costa de Novaes, M. I., and Zhang, S. 2015. Evaluation of the new compound oxathiapiprolin for control of downy mildew in basil. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-RS-15-0026. This study was conducted to evaluate a new chemical, oxathiapiprolin, as a seed treatment and foliar application for control of downy mildew of basil, caused by Peronospora belbahrii, and to assess the in...

Two ladybeetles, Cycloneda sanguinea and Harmonia axyridis, were exposed in the laboratory to eight fungicide formulations commonly used in citrus production in Florida. Both benomyl and the combination of copper and petroleum oil proved toxic to larvae of C. sanguinea that were exposed to concentrations corresponding to recommended field rates, either as leaf residues or in topical spray appli...

Muscadine grapes are high in phytochemicals beneficial to humans, such as resveratrol and ellagic acid. Four studies were conducted to explore the relationship between phytochemical content, berry quality, and disease control following full season or early season applications of fungicides. In each study foliar and fruit diseases were lower in the full season treatment compared to the control, ...

In this work, a rapid method based on air-assisted liquid liquid microextraction (AALLME) was developed for the determination of three fungicides (azoxystrobin, diethofencarb and pyrimethanil) in water and juice samples. A narrow-neck glass tube was made to facilitate collection of the low-density extractant. The mixture of extractant and sample solution is rapidly sucked into a 5-mL glass syri...

Botrytis cinerea causes pre- and postharvest decay of many fruit and vegetable crops. A survey of German strawberry fields revealed Botrytis strains that differed from B. cinerea in diagnostic PCR markers and growth appearance. Phylogenetic analyses showed that these strains belong to an undescribed species in Botrytis clade 2, named Botrytisfragariae sp. nov. Isolates of Bfragariae were detect...