A POTENTIAL SYSTEM FOR MANAGING BOTRYTIS AND POWDERY MILDEW IN MAIN SEASON STRAWBERRIES

A mathematical model (BOTEM), describing the influence of weather and Botrytis inoculum on flower infection in strawberry, was incorporated into a management system to assist in decisions on sprays to control Botrytis fruit rot and powdery mildew in main season strawberry crops.
Decisions on mildew sprays were based on the incidence of cleistothecia in the crop the previous autumn.
The management system was evaluated for the first time in a large replicated field experiments on strawberry cv.
Elsanta at three sites.
The incidence of powdery mildew and Botrytis fruit rot, in plots sprayed according to the management system, was compared to that in plots sprayed routinely or left untreated.
No mildew was recorded before or during harvest in any plots and the incidence of Botrytis fruit rot at harvest was negligible in both treated and untreated plots.
Up to 27% Botrytis fruit rot developed in fruit from untreated plots seven days after harvest in post harvest tests.
All the spray treatments reduced the incidence of Botrytis fruit rot in post-harvest tests, but this was achieved with up to 60% reduction in fungicide inputs in the managed plots.
Further field evaluation is required before the management system is finalised.

IV International Strawberry Symposium

A.M. Berrie, D.C. Harris, X-M. Xu, C.M. Burgess

Disease warning system, fungicide, cleistothecia

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.567.140