Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of late blight, is a major threat to potato production in northwestern Europe. Before 1980, the worldwide population of P. infestans outside Mexico appeared to be asexual and to consist of a single clonal lineage of A1 mating type characterized by a single genotype. It is widely believed that new strains migrated into Europe in 1976 and that this led to subsequent population changes including the introduction of the A2 mating type. The population characteristics of recently collected isolates in NW Europe show a diverse population including both mating types, sexual reproduction and oospores, although differences are observed between regions. Although it is difficult to find direct evidence that new strains are more aggressive, there are several indications from experiments and field epidemics that the aggressiveness of P. infestans has increased in the past 20 years. The relative importance of the different primary inoculum sources and specific measures for reducing their role, such as covering dumps with plastic and preventing seed tubers from becoming infected, is described for the different regions. In NW Europe, varieties with greater resistance tend not to be grown on a large scale. From the grower's perspective, the savings in fungicide input that can be achieved with these varieties are not compensated by the higher (perceived) risk of blight. Fungicides play a crucial role in the integrated control of late blight. The spray strategies in NW Europe and a table of the specific attributes of the most important fungicides in Europe are presented. The development and use of decision support systems (DSSs) in NW Europe are described. In The Netherlands, it is estimated that almost 40% of potato growers use recommendations based on commercially available DSS. In the Nordic countries, a new DSS concept with a fixed 7-day spray interval and a variable dose rate is being tested. In the UK, commercially available DSSs are used for c. 8% of the area. The validity of Smith Periods for the new population of P. infestans in the UK is currently being evaluated.

For a comprehensive survey of the structure and dynamics of the Dutch Phytophthora infestans population, 652 P. infestans isolates were collected from commercial potato fields in the Netherlands during the 10-year period 2000–2009. Genotyping was performed using 12 highly informative microsatellite markers and mitochondrial haplotypes. In addition, for each isolate, the mating type was determined. STRUCTURE analysis grouped the 322 identified genotypes in three clusters. Cluster 1 consists of a single clonal lineage NL-001, known as “Blue_13”; all isolates in this cluster have the A2 mating type and the Ia mitochondrial haplotype. Clusters 2 and 3 display a more elaborate substructure containing many unique genotypes. In Cluster 3, several distinct clonal lineages were also identified. This survey witnesses that the Dutch population underwent dramatic changes in the 10 years under study. The most notable change was the emergence and spread of A2 mating type strain NL-001 (or “Blue_13”). The results emphasize the importance of the sexual cycle in generating genetic diversity and the importance of the asexual cycle as the propagation and dispersal mechanism for successful genotypes. Isolates were also screened for absence of the Avrblb1/ipiO class I gene, which is indicative for virulence on Rpi-blb1. This is also the first report of Rpi-blb1 breakers in the Netherlands. Superimposing the virulence screening on the SSR genetic backbone indicates that lack the Avrblb1/ipiO class I gene only occurred in sexual progeny. So far, the asexual spread of the virulent isolates identified has been limited.

Phytophthora infestans is the causal organism of potato late blight, the most important disease in potato, the second most important arable crop in Europe. The P. infestans population in Europe is well known for its sudden changes in composition. Currently it is composed of a wide variety of genotypes, some of which are dominant clonal lines while others are rare or even unique to a year or location. Fungicides play a crucial role in the integrated control of late blight. Since its introduction in the Netherlands in 1992, fluazinam has been used in late blight control strategies in ware and starch potatoes. It has a broad spectrum of activity and is effective against a range of diseases including potato late blight. Fluazinam interrupts the pathogen cell's energy production process by an uncoupling effect on oxidative phosphorylation. It is considered to have a low resistance risk. Until recently, reduced efficacy against fluazinam was not detected in P. infestans surveys in Europe. In this paper we present the finding of a new clonal lineage (EU_33_A2) of P. infestans in the Netherlands and the reduced efficacy of fluazinam to control one of the EU_33_A2 isolates in field experiments carried out in 2011 and 2015 under high disease pressure. The potential effects of this finding on practical late blight control strategies are discussed.

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Tagetes patula is well known to be able to diminish Pratylenchus penetrans (Cobb) populations. In a field experiment, the increase of the P. penetrans soil population density after growing T. patula was significantly less than after chemical soil fumigation with metam sodium. The effect of T. patula on P. penetrans population densities lasted longer than the effect of chemical soil fumigation. Strawberries were grown for 3 consecutive years after T. patula without damage by the root lesion nematode. Assuming a linear rate of increase of the P. penetrans population density, we predict that strawberries could be grown for about 7 successive years without economic damage due to the root lesion nematode. Strawberry yield was greater from the crop grown 3 years after T. patula than that after soil fumigation 4 years previously. About 2 t strawberry yield increase is necessary to allow the growth of Tagetes every 5th year, without economic loss. The possibility of growing both strawberries and Tagetes in the same year should be investigated.

Alternaria species are well‐known aggressive pathogens that are widespread globally and warmer temperatures caused by climate change might increase their abundance more drastically. Early blight (EB) disease, caused mainly by Alternaria solani, and brown spot, caused by Alternaria alternata, are major concerns in potato, tomato and eggplant production. The development of EB is strongly linked to varieties, crop development stages, environmental factors, cultivation and field management. Several forecasting models for pesticide application to control EB were created in the last century and more recent scientific advances have included modern breeding technology to detect resistant genes and precision agriculture with hyperspectral sensors to pinpoint damage locations on plants. This paper presents an overview of the EB disease and provides an evaluation of recent scientific advances to control the disease. First of all, we describe the outline of this disease, encompassing biological cycles of the Alternaria genus, favorite climate and soil conditions as well as resistant plant species. Second, versatile management practices to minimize the effect of this pathogen at field level are discussed, covering their limitations and pitfalls. A better understanding of the underlying factors of this disease and the potential of novel research can contribute to implementing integrated pest management systems for an ecofriendly farming system. © 2021 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

The dispersal of conidia of Mycocentrospora acerina was studied in caraway field trials. A Burkard spore trap, rotorods, inverted Petri dishes containing sucrose agar and rain gauges were used to trap conidia of M. acerina. Sporulation was stimulated by rainfall (у2 mm) and moderate temperatures (around 15ЊC). Solar radiation had a negative effect on sporulation. Hardly any conidia were found in the spore traps on rainless days. Short distance (р9 m) spread of M. acerina is mainly caused by splash dispersal of its conidia. Trap plants at 0, 0 . 1, 1 and 4 m from the inoculum source were readily infected under moist conditions. Beyond 9 m from an inoculum source no infection of caraway trap plants was found. Trap plants at 9 m from an inoculum source were infected in one out of three seasons only. Long distance (>9 m) spread could not be demonstrated by the techniques used in this study. The results suggest that, usually, a caraway field is infected by inoculum sources within that field.

Potato late blight (Phytophthora infestans) is a plant disease feared globally by farmers and the potato industry. P. infestans is a heterothallic oomycete with two mating types. Until recently the pathogen was limited to surviving between seasons as living mycelia in its host plant in most parts of the world. This was due to the fact that populations of P. infestans consisted of only one mating type (A1) in all parts of the world except Mexico, the putative centre of origin of the pathogen. Migration of new genotypes from Mexico, including genotypes of the second mating type (A2) has resulted in that now both mating types can be found worldwide. The formation of oospores is only possible if both mating types coexist. Oospores will give the pathogen the ability of surviving for extended periods of time outside its host, for example in the soil. There are reports of oospore formation under field conditions from many parts of the world. Also, in some places oospores are considered as a new, additional inoculum source and as a consequence the onset of late blight epidemics have become earlier. Oospores are formed through sexual recombination. If they act as a source of inoculum, this will increase the genotypic variation in populations of P. infestans leading to an enhanced adaptability of the pathogen. As a consequence, an earlier start of epidemics caused by oospores in the soil and a more aggressive behaviour of the pathogen due to new sexually formed genotypes could make potato late blight even more difficult to control in the future.