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Germicidal ultraviolet-C light (UV–C) has been used to effectively suppress grapevine powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator). However, effects on arthropod pests that would be simultaneously exposed to UV-C during applications directed at E. necator, are poorly understood. The grape mealybug (Pseudococcus maritimus) is one such grapevine pest. We exposed mated P. maritimus adult females in a lab study to UV-C light doses of 100, 200, 500 and 1000 J/m2. UV-C was applied during darkness and was followed by an additional 4 h dark period post-treatment to enhance possible suppressive effects of UV-C. Positive (2% horticultural oil) and negative (untreated) controls were included. Adult female P. maritimus oviposition was observed two weeks after treatment, and hatching of eggs was enumerated four weeks after treatment. UV-C treatment of mated adult females, regardless of dose, did not prevent oviposition or reduce ovisac viability. In a separate lab experiment, first instar P. maritimus nymphs were similarly exposed to UV-C doses of 200 and 1000 J/m2 with and without a 4hr dark period. UV-C treatments were compared to the same positive and negative controls. Nymph mortality was assessed at 24 and 48 h after UV-C treatment. Increasing doses of UV-C treatments, followed by a dark period, had a small, but significant impact on nymph mortality relative to the untreated control. Further studies on the potential sublethal effects (e.g., fecundity or longevity) of single or multiple exposures or increased UV-C doses upon juvenile stages of P. maritimus are warranted, as longer-term and multigenerational effects of UV-C have been observed in other arthropod systems. • Ultraviolet C light treatment of Pseudococcus maritimus did not prevent oviposition. • Increased UV-C treatment dose resulted in a small, but significant, increase in P. maritimus nymph mortality. • Further exploration of maximum UV-C dose and post-treatment dark period requirement is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) identification in perennial fruit crops is impeded largely by their lengthy generation time, resulting in costly and labor-intensive maintenance of breeding programs. In a grapevine (genus Vitis) breeding program, although experimental families are typically unreplicated, the genetic backgrounds may contain similar progenitors previously selected due to their contribution of favorable alleles. In this study, we investigated the utility of joint QTL identification provided by analyzing half-sib families. The genetic control of powdery mildew was studied using two half-sib F families, namely GE0711/1009 (MN1264 × MN1214; N = 147) and GE1025 (MN1264 × MN1246; N = 125) with multiple species in their ancestry. Maternal genetic maps consisting of 1077 and 1641 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, respectively, were constructed using a pseudo-testcross strategy. Ratings of field resistance to powdery mildew were obtained based on whole-plant evaluation of disease severity. This 2-year analysis uncovered two QTLs that were validated on a consensus map in these half-sib families with improved precision relative to the parental maps. Examination of haplotype combinations based on the two QTL regions identified strong association of haplotypes inherited from 'Seyval blanc', through MN1264, with powdery mildew resistance. This investigation also encompassed the use of microsatellite markers to establish a correlation between 206-bp (UDV-015b) and 357-bp (VViv67) fragment sizes with resistance-carrying haplotypes. Our work is one of the first reports in grapevine demonstrating the use of SNP-based maps and haplotypes for QTL identification and tagging of powdery mildew resistance in half-sib families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ontogenic or age-related resistance has been noted in many pathosystems but is less often quantified or expressed in a manner that allows the concept to be applied in disease management programs. Preliminary studies indicated that leaves and fruit of three strawberry cultivars rapidly acquired ontogenic resistance to the powdery mildew pathogen, Podosphaera aphanis. In the present study, we quantify the development of ontogenic resistance in controlled inoculations of 10 strawberry cultivars using diverse isolates of P. aphanis in New York and Florida, USA, and in Norway. We report the differential and organ-specific development of ontogenic resistance in the receptacle and externally borne strawberry achenes. We further report that rapid development of ontogenic resistance prior to unfolding of emergent leaves, rather than differential susceptibility of adaxial versus abaxial leaf surfaces, may explain the commonly observed predominance of powdery mildew on the lower leaf surfaces. Susceptibility of leaves and fruit declined exponentially with age. Receptacle tissue of berries inoculated at four phenological stages from bloom to ripe fruit became nearly immune to infection approximately 10 to 15 days after bloom, as fruit transitioned from the early green to the late green or early white stage of berry development, although the achenes remained susceptible for a longer period. Leaves also acquired ontogenic resistance early in their development, and they were highly resistant shortly after unfolding and before the upper surface was fully exposed. No significant difference was found in the susceptibility of the adaxial versus abaxial surfaces. The rapid acquisition of ontogenic resistance by leaves and fruit revealed a narrow window of susceptibility to which management programs might be advantageously adapted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of chasmothecia by the strawberry powdery mildew pathogen (Podosphuera aphanis) is widespread but often sporadic throughout the range of strawberry cultivation. In some production regions, notably in wanner climates, chasmothecia are reportedly rare. We confirmed that the pathogen is heterothallic, and that initiation of chas-molhecia is not only dependent upon the presence of isolates of both mating types but also largely suppressed at temperatures >13°C. Compared with incubation at a constant temperature of 25°C, progressively more chasmothecia were initiated when temperatures were decreased to 13°C for progressively longer times. At lower temperatures, production of chasmothecia was associated with a decline in but not total cessation of conidial formation, and pairings of compatible isolates sporulated abundantly at 25°C. We developed mating-type markers specific to P. aphanis and used these to confirm the presence of both mating types in populations that had not yet initiated chasmothecia. The geographic discontinuity of chasmothecia production and the sporadic and seemingly unpredictable appearance of chasmothecia in P. aphanis are possibly due to the combined influence of heterothallism and suppression of chasmothecia formation by high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initiation of asexual sporulation in powdery mildews is preceded by a period of superficial vegetative growth of mildew colonies. We found evidence of a quorum-sensing signal in Erysiphe necator that was promulgated at the colony center and stimulated conidiation throughout the colony. Removal of the colony center after putative signal promulgation had no impact upon timing of sporulation by 48-h-old hyphae at the colony margin. However, removal of the colony center before signaling nearly doubled the latent period. A relationship between inoculum density and latent period was also observed, with latent period decreasing as the number of conidia deposited per square millimeter was increased. The effect was most pronounced at the lowest inoculum densities, with little decrease of the latent period as the density of inoculation increased above 10 spores/mm. Furthermore, light was shown to be necessary to initiate conidiation of sporulation-competent colonies. When plants were inoculated and maintained in a day-and-night cycle for 36 h but subjected to darkness after 36 h, colonies kept in darkness failed to sporulate for several days after plants kept in light had sporulated. Once returned to light, the dark-suppression was immediately reversed, and sporulation commenced within 12 h. Merging of colonies of compatible mating types resulted in near-cessation of sporulation, both in the region of merging and in more distant parts of the colonies. Colonies continued to expand but stopped producing new conidiophores once pairing of compatible mating types had occurred, and extant conidiophores stopped producing new conidia. Therefore, in addition to a quorum-sensing signal to initiate conidiation, there appears to be either signal repression or another signal that causes conidiation to cease once pairing has occurred and the pathogen has initiated the ascigerous stage for overwintering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Few plant pathogens have had a more profound effect on the evolution of disease management than Erysiphe necator, which causes grapevine powdery mildew. When the pathogen first spread from North America to England in 1845, and onwards to France in 1847, 'germ theory' was neither understood among the general populace nor even generally accepted within the scientific community. Louis Pasteur had only recently reported the microbial nature of fermentation, and it would be another 30 years before Robert Koch would publish his proofs of the microbial nature of certain animal diseases. However, within 6 years after the arrival of the pathogen, nearly 6 million grape growers in France were routinely applying sulphur to suppress powdery mildew on nearly 2.5 million hectares of vineyards (). The pathogen has remained a focus for disease management efforts ever since. Because of the worldwide importance of the crop and its susceptibility to the disease, and because conventional management with modern, organic fungicides has been compromised on several occasions since 1980 by the evolution of fungicide resistance, there has also been a renewed effort worldwide to explore the pathogen's biology and ecology, its genetics and molecular interactions with host plants, and to refine current and suggest new management strategies. These latter aspects are the subject of our review. Taxonomy: The most widely accepted classification follows. Family Erysiphaceae, Erysiphe necator Schw. [syn. Uncinula necator (Schw.) Burr., E. tuckeri Berk., U. americana Howe and U. spiralis Berk. & Curt; anamorph Oidium tuckeri Berk.]. Erysiphe necator var. ampelopsidis was found on Parthenocissus spp. in North America according to , although later studies revealed isolates whose host range spanned genera, making the application of this taxon somewhat imprecise (Gadoury and Pearson, 1991). The classification of the genera before 1980 was based on features of the mature ascocarp: (i) numbers of asci; and (ii) morphology of the appendages, in particular the appendage tips. The foregoing has been supplanted by phylogeny inferred from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of ribosomal DNA sequences (), which correlates with conidial ontogeny and morphology (). Host range: The pathogen is obligately parasitic on genera within the Vitaceae, including Vitis, Cissus, Parthenocissus and Ampelopsis (Pearson and Gadoury, 1992). The most economically important host is grapevine ( Vitis), particularly the European grape, V. vinifera, which is highly susceptible to powdery mildew. Disease symptoms and signs: In the strictest sense, macroscopically visible mildew colonies are signs of the pathogen rather than symptoms resulting from its infection, but, for convenience, we describe the symptoms and signs together as the collective appearance of colonized host tissues. All green tissues of the host may be infected. Ascospore colonies are most commonly found on the lower surface of the first-formed leaves near the bark of the vine, and may be accompanied by a similarly shaped chlorotic spot on the upper surface. Young colonies appear whitish and those that have not yet sporulated show a metallic sheen. They are roughly circular, ranging in size from a few millimetres to a centimetre or more in diameter, and can occur singly or in groups that coalesce to cover much of the leaf. Senescent colonies are greyish, and may bear cleistothecia in various stages of development. Dead epidermal cells often subtend the colonized area, as natural mortality in the mildew colony, the use of fungicides, mycoparasites or resistance responses in the leaf result in the deaths of segments of the mildew colony and infected epidermal cells. Severely affected leaves usually senesce, develop necrotic blotches and fall prematurely. Infection of stems initially produces symptoms similar to those on leaves, but colonies on shoots are eventually killed as periderm forms, producing a dark, web-like scar on the cane (Gadoury et al., 2011). Inflorescences and berries are most susceptible when young, and can become completely coated with whitish mildew. The growth of the berry epidermal tissue stops when severely infected, which may result in splitting as young fruit expand. Berries in a transitional stage between susceptible and resistant (generally between 3 and 4 weeks after anthesis) develop diffuse, nonsporulating mildew colonies only visible under magnification. Diffuse colonies die as berries continue to mature, leaving behind a network of necrotic epidermal cells (Gadoury et al., 2007). Survival over winter as mycelium in buds results in a distinctive foliar symptom. Shoots arising from these buds may be heavily coated with fungal growth, stark white in colour and stand out like white flags in the vine, resulting in the term 'flag shoots'. More commonly, colonization of a flag shoot is less extensive, and infection of a single leaf, or of leaves on one side of the shoot only, is observed (Gadoury et al., 2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A collection of four clonal isolates of Podosphaera aphanis was heterothallic and was composed of two mutually exclusive mating types. Cleistothecial initials ≈20 to 30 µm in diameter were observed within 7 to 14 days after pairing of compatible isolates and developed into morphologically mature ascocarps within 4 weeks after initiation on both potted plants maintained in isolation and in field plantings in New York State and southern Norway. Ascospores progressed through a lengthy maturation process over winter, during which (i) the conspicuous epiplasm of the ascus was absorbed; (ii) the osmotic potential of the ascospore cytoplasm increased, resulting in bursting of prematurely freed spores in water; and, finally, (iii) resulting in the development of physiologically mature, germinable, and infectious ascospores. Release of overwintered ascospores from field collections was coincident with renewed plant growth in spring. Overwintered cleistothecia readily dehisced when wetted and released ascospores onto glass slides, detached strawberry leaves, and leaves of potted plants. Plant material exposed to discharged ascospores developed macroscopically visible mildew colonies within 7 to 10 days while noninoculated controls remained mildew free. Scanning electron and light microscopy revealed that cleistothecia of P. aphanis were enmeshed within a dense mat of hyphae on the persistent leaves of field-grown strawberry plants and were highly resistant to removal by rain while these leaves remained alive. In contrast, morphologically mature cleistothecia on leaves of nine deciduous perennial plant species were readily detached by simulated rain and seemed adapted for passive dispersal by rain to other substrates. Contrary to many previous reports, cleistothecia appear to be a functional source of primary inoculum for strawberry powdery mildew. Furthermore, they differ substantially from cleistothecia of powdery mildews of many deciduous perennial plants in their propensity to remain attached to the persistent leaves of their host during the intercrop period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berries of grapevine (Vitis spp.) have a limited window of susceptibility to Uncinula necator, the causal agent of grapevine powdery mildew, until the onset of ontogenic resistance approximately 2 to 3 weeks postbloom. This phenomenon has been demonstrated in several cultivars of V. vinifera and in V. labruscana 'Concord', which all exhibited a similar duration of susceptibility. To identify genetic variation for ontogenic resistance, we screened a diverse collection of Vitis species and interspecific hybrids maintained in the USDA-ARS cold-hardy Vitis germplasm collection in Geneva, NY. Of the 79 genotypes whose fruit clusters were screened for susceptibility to powdery mildew under field conditions, 50 exhibited a high level of constitutive resistance to powdery mildew and did not develop more than trace levels of disease when inoculated, irrespective of the stage of berry development at inoculation. Twenty-four genotypes exhibited a significant gain of resistance as berries aged. This ontogenic resistance was conserved across four species and several interspecific hybrids of Vitis spp., although the timing of the onset of ontogenic resistance varied by genotype. The mechanism of ontogenic resistance was examined for four genotypes. Similar to previous studies, ontogenic resistance greatly reduced the incidence of successful penetration. Despite the broad conservation of ontogenic resistance across species, one genotype (V. rupestris 'R-65-44') remained susceptible past the onset of ripening, over 1 month later than reported previously for V. vinifera and V. labruscana. Variation in the resistance phenotype was observed among the rachis, pedicels, and berries within clusters of the majority of genotypes studied. The genetic variation in ontogenic resistance, in particular the discovery of a genotype in which berries remain susceptible as they mature, will facilitate further study of the inheritance and molecular basis of ontogenic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of grape (principally cultivars of Vitis vinifera) for high-quality wines requires a high level of suppression of powdery mildew (Uncinula necator syn. Erysiphe necator). Severe infection of either fruit or foliage has well-documented and deleterious effects upon crop and wine quality. We found that berries nearly immune to infection by U. necator due to the development of ontogenic resistance may still support diffuse and inconspicuous mildew colonies when inoculated ≈3 weeks post-bloom. Fruit with diffuse mildew colonies appear to be healthy and free of powdery mildew in late-season vineyard assessments with the naked eye. Nonetheless, presence of these colonies on berries was associated with (i) elevated populations of spoilage microorganisms; (ii) increased evolution of volatile ethyl acetate, acetic acid, and ethanol; (iii) increased infestation by insects known to be attracted to the aforementioned volatiles; (iv) increased rotting by Botrytis cinerea; and (v) increased frequency of perceived defects in wines prepared from fruit supporting diffuse powdery mildew colonies. Prevention of diffuse infection requires extending fungicidal protection until fruit are fully resistant to infection. Despite a perceived lack of improvement in disease control due to the insidious nature of diffuse powdery mildew, potential deleterious effects upon crop and wine quality thereby would be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grape berries are highly susceptible to powdery mildew 1 week after bloom but acquire ontogenic resistance 2 to 3 weeks later. We recently demonstrated that germinating conidia of the grape powdery mildew pathogen (Uncinula necator) cease development before penetration of the cuticle on older resistant berries. The mechanism that halts U. necator at that particular stage was not known. Several previous studies investigated potential host barriers or cell responses to powdery mildew in berries and Leaves, but none included observation of the direct effect of these factors on pathogen development. We found that cuticle thickness increased with berry age, but that ingress by the pathogen halted before formation of a visible penetration pore. Cell wall thickness remained unchanged over the first 4 weeks after bloom, the time during which berries progressed from highly susceptible to nearly immune. Auto fluorescent polyphenolic compounds accumulated at a higher frequency beneath appressoria on highly susceptible berries than on highly resistant berries; and oxidation of the above phenolics, indicated by cell discoloration, developed at a significantly higher frequency on susceptible berries. Beneath the first-formed appressoria of all germinated conidia, papillae occurred at a significantly higher frequency on 2- to 5-day-old berries than on 30- to 31-day-old fruit. The relatively few paplillae observed on older berries were, in most cases (82.8 to 97.3%), found beneath appressoria of conidia that had failed to produce secondary hyphae. This contrasted with the more abundantly produced papillae on younger berries, where only 35.4 to 41.0% were located beneath appressoria of conidia that had failed to produce secondary hyphae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powdery mildew, caused by Podosphaera macularis, is one of the most important diseases of hop. The disease was first reported in the Pacific Northwestern United States, the primary hop-growing region in this country, in the mid-1990s. More recently, the disease has reemerged in newly planted hopyards of the eastern United States, as hop production has expanded to meet demands of local craft brewers. The spread of strains virulent on previously resistant cultivars, the paucity of available fungicides, and the potential introduction of the MAT1-2 mating type to the western United States, all threaten sustainability of hop production. We sequenced the transcriptome of 104 isolates of P. macularis collected throughout the western United States, eastern United States, and Europe to quantify genetic diversity of pathogen populations and elucidate the possible origins of pathogen populations in the western United States. Discriminant analysis of principal components grouped isolates within three to five geographic populations, dependent on stringency of grouping criteria. Isolates from the western United States were phenotyped and categorized into one of three pathogenic races based on disease symptoms generated on differential cultivars. Western U.S. populations were clonal, irrespective of pathogenic race, and grouped with isolates originating from Europe. Isolates originating from wild hop plants in the eastern United States were genetically differentiated from all other populations, whereas isolates from cultivated hop plants in the eastern United States mostly grouped with isolates originating from the west, consistent with origins from nursery sources. Mating types of isolates originating from cultivated western and eastern U.S. hop plants were entirely MAT1-1. In contrast, a 1:1 ratio of MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 was observed with isolates sampled from wild plants or Europe. Within the western United States a set of highly differentiated loci were identified in P. macularis isolates associated with virulence to the powdery mildew R-gene R6. The weight of genetic and phenotypic evidence suggests a European origin of the P. macularis populations in the western United States, followed by spread of the pathogen from the western United States to re-emergent production regions in the eastern United States. Furthermore, R6 compatibility appears to have been selected from an extant isolate within the western United States. Greater emphasis on sanitation measures during propagation and quarantine policies should be considered to limit further spread of novel genotypes of the pathogen, both between and within production areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genomics era brought unprecedented opportunities for genetic analysis of host resistance, but it came with the challenge that accurate and reproducible phenotypes are needed so that genomic results appropriately reflect biology. Phenotyping host resistance by natural infection in the field can produce variable results due to the uncontrolled environment, uneven distribution and genetics of the pathogen, and developmentally regulated resistance among other factors. To address these challenges, we developed highly controlled, standardized methodologies for phenotyping powdery mildew resistance in the context of a phenotyping center, receiving samples of up to 140 grapevine progeny per F1 family. We applied these methodologies to F1 families segregating for REN1- or REN2-mediated resistance and validated that some but not all bioassays identified the REN1 or REN2 locus. A point-intercept method (hyphal transects) to quantify colony density objectively at 8 or 9 days postinoculation proved to be the phenotypic response most reproducibly predicted by these resistance loci. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping with genotyping-by-sequencing maps defined the REN1 and REN2 loci at relatively high resolution. In the reference PN40024 genome under each QTL, nucleotide-binding site−leucine-rich repeat candidate resistance genes were identified—one gene for REN1 and two genes for REN2. The methods described here for centralized resistance phenotyping and high-resolution genetic mapping can inform strategies for breeding resistance to powdery mildews and other pathogens on diverse, highly heterozygous hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the efficacy of a mycophagous tydeid mite, Ortholydeus lambi, in controlling grape powdery mildew on mature vines of nine different grape cultivars and one unnamed hybrid grown in an experimental vineyard over a 3-year period. O. lambi became well established on all vines where they were released. However, some cultivars supported higher densities than others, depending on, among other factors, the presence and abundance of leaf trichomes in vein axils (domatia). The establishment of O. Lambi substantially reduced powdery mildew on foliage and fruit, although the magnitude of disease suppression was greater on some grape genotypes than others, depending on mite density and innate susceptibility to grape powdery mildew. Treatments where O. lambi was used alone were as effective as fungicide. Significantly better disease control was found in treatments with both mites and fungicides. The mass of pruning material and leaf photosynthetic rates were significantly greater for vines with O. lambi, fungicide, or a combination of mites and fungicide compared with untreated vines. The combination of mites and fungicide resulted in significantly greater yield than mites or fungicide alone. Our results illustrate the potential of O. lambi for biological control of grape powdery mildew but also high-light limitations related to differences among grape genotypes in innate susceptibility to mildew and suitability for mites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hop powdery mildew, caused by the ascomycete fungus Podosphaera macularis, is a consistent threat to sustainable hop production. The pathogen utilizes two reproductive strategies for overwintering and perennation: (i) asexual vegetative hyphae on dormant buds that emerge the following season as infected shoots; and (ii) sexual ascocarps (chasmothecia), which are discharged during spring rain events. We demonstrate that P. macularis chasmothecia, in the absence of any asexual P. macularis growth forms, are a viable overwintering source capable of causing early season infection two to three orders of magnitude greater than that reported for perennation via asexual growth. Two epidemiological models were defined that describe (i) temperature-driven maturation of P. macularis chasmothecia; and (ii) ascosporic discharge in response to duration of leaf wetness and prevailing temperatures. P. macularis ascospores were confirmed to be infectious at temperatures ranging from 5 to 20°C. The organism's chasmothecia were also found to adhere tightly to the host tissue on which they formed, suggesting that these structures likely overwinter wherever hop tissue senesces within a hop yard. These observations suggest that existing early season disease management practices are especially crucial to controlling hop powdery mildew in the presence of P. macularis chasmothecia. Furthermore, these insights provide a baseline for the validation of weatherdriven models describing maturation and release of P. macularis ascospores, models that can eventually be incorporated into hop disease management programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obligately biotrophic plant pathogens pose challenges in population genetic studies due to their genomic complexities and elaborate culturing requirements with limited biomass. Hop powdery mildew (Podosphaera macula, is) is an obligately biotrophic ascomycete that threatens sustainable hop production. P macularis populations of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) United States differ from those of the Midwest and Northeastern United States, lacking one of two mating types needed for sexual recombination highand harboring two strains that are differentially aggressive on the cultivar Cascade and able to overcome the Humulus lupulus R-gene R6 (V6), respectively. To develop a high-throughput marker platform for tracking the flow of genotypes across the United States and internationally, we used an existing transcriptome of diverse P macularis isolates to design a multiplex 54 amplicon sequencing markers, validated across a panel of 391 U.S. samples and 123 international samples. The results suggest that niacu[£iris from U.S. commercial hop yards form one population closely related to P macularis of the United Kingdom, while P m Licul(iris from U.S. feral hop locations grouped with P macul(iris of Eastern Europe. Included in this multiplex was a marker that successfully tracked V6-vii·ulence in 65 of 66 samples with a confirmed V6-phenotype. A new qPCR assay for high-throughput genotyping of P macuknis mating type generated the highest resolution distribution map of' P mcicularis mating type to date. Together, these genotyping strategies enable the highand throughput and inexpensive tracking of pathogen spread among geographical regions from single-colony samples and provide a roadmap to develop markers for other obligate biotrophs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of day length on production and germinability of conidia and severity of disease caused by Podosphaera pannosa, the causal agent of rose powdery mildew, was studied. Whole potted plants or detached leaves of Rosa interspecific hybrid `Mistral' were inoculated with P. pannosa and exposed to 0, 12, 18, 20, 22, or 24 h of artificial light per day in growth chambers equipped with mercury lamps. Increasing duration of illumination from 18 to 20 to 24 h per day reduced production of conidia by 22 to 62%. Exposure to 24 h of illumination per day also strongly reduced disease severity compared with 18 h. Our results suggest that increasing day lengths from 18 h per day to 20 to 24 h may suppress the disease significantly and, thereby, reduce the need for fungicide applications against powdery mildew. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthotydeus lambi reduced the severity of grape powdery mildew (Uncinula necator) on fruit and foliage of Vitis vinifera ‘Chardonnay’ and ‘Riesling’ in repeated field and laboratory trials. Vines were infested with O. lambi at two densities (5 or 30 mites per leaf) at each of two times (2 to 3 weeks problem and 1 week postbloom). Overall, powdery mildew on the berries and foliage was suppressed by early (prebloom) mite releases at both densities, but only by the higher density in late (postbloom) releases. In a separate trial, when foliage was infested at 30 mites per leaf but mites were excluded from certain fruit clusters, severity of powdery mildew was significantly reduced on the mite-free clusters of mite-infested shoots. Thus, O. lambi may suppress powdery mildew on the fruit by reducing inoculum from foliar infections. In laboratory studies, both immature and mature mites reduced infection efficiency, colony expansion, and sporulation of the mildew colonies; but immature mites were more voracious feeders, consuming more pathogen biomass per unit of mite biomass. Mites tore at the mycelium and conidia with their palps during feeding, leading to leakage, rapid loss of hyphal turgor, and collapse of hyphae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]