Disease Control Strategies in Pickle Production

Pickling Cucumber Improvement Committee Meeting Abstract

G. J. Holmes

Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University

There are approximately 11 important infectious diseases of cucumber in North Carolina. Fungicides continue to be an important disease management tool for at least five of these (anthracnose, belly rot, damping-off, gummy stem blight, and target spot). In recent years, three new fungicides have been registered for use on cucumber. These include Quadris (azoxystrobin) and Flint (trifloxystrobin), which belong to a new chemical group called the strobilurins. The strobilurins are based on a natural compound produced by a small mushroom (Strobillurus tenacellus). This compound has specific activity against fungi and low toxicity toward non-target organisms (e.g., plants, mammals, birds, insects, and earthworms). Other variations of the strobilurin compound have been developed for use on other crops, and more are currently in the development process.

It is important to know how effective these products are against important cucumber diseases (e.g., anthracnose, gummy stem blight, belly rot) in relation to more traditional products (e.g., Bravo and mancozeb). In this presentation I will discuss when and how these products fit into an effective disease control strategy.

For further information, contact:

  • Dr. Gerald J. Holmes, Assistant Professor
  • Department of Plant Pathology, Box 7616
  • North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695
  • Telephone: 919-515-9779; Fax: 919-515-7716
  • E-mail: gerald_holmes@ncsu.edu

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