Placing Management of Sunflower Downy Mildew (Plasmopara halstedii (Farl.) Berl. et de Toni) under an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) System Approach: Challenges and New Perspectives

Abstract

Sunflower is one of the major oil crops in the world. Diseases such as sunflower downy mildew (Plasmopara halstedii (Farl.) Berl. et de Toni) constitute a significant risk factor during sunflower production. Integrated pest management (IPM) is considered an essential tool against sunflower downy mildew; however, the pathogen variability repeatedly affects the efficacy of control measures. This article evaluates some vital elements of the management of sunflower downy mildew disease and analyzes current challenges. In addition, we outlined the options for the future integration of recent research and achievements related to sunflower downy mildew to achieve more sustainable sunflower production. Finally, a SWOT analysis was performed to consider internal factors, such as strengths (S) and weaknesses (W), and external factors, such as opportunities (O) and threats (T) connected to the topic.

Efficacy of some plant resistance inducers against several sunflower downy mildew (Plasmopara halstedii (Farl.) Berl. et de Toni) isolates

“…Once symptoms of sunflower downy mildew appear, there is no effective control against the pathogen. Besides planting resistant sunflower hybrids, seed coating with fungicides is among the most efficient control measures for downy mildew (Bán et al 2023). Previously, mefenoxam, a phenyl amide active ingredient, provided efficient control against the disease for a long time (Albourie et al 1998).…”

“…There is a growing body of research on the use of plant activators, such as chemical inducers (e.g., benzothiadiazole), botanical pesticides (e.g., azadirachtin), and biocontrol agents (e.g., Trichoderma spp.) for disease control (Bán et al 2023;Doshi et al 2020;Tarigan et al 2022). One of the underlying processes is induced resistance, whereby a prior treatment with resistance inducers or inoculation with a non-aggressive, or avirulent pathogen can cause the susceptible plant to respond relatively quickly to a subsequent attack (Vallad and Goodman (2004); Walters et al 2013;Kamle et al 2020;Yassin et al 2021).…”