Fog and Downy Mildew on Collards

From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath.

Foggy fall mornings are nature’s warning that conditions are favorable for brassica downy mildew to get started on collard and kale.

Remember that because downy mildew affects the harvested, edible portion of the crop, control practices must be very effective to increase yields. Use the following practices to maximize control:

1. Rotate crops to new fields every year. Brassica downy mildew is believed to survive in soil.

2. Check lower, older leaves for angular yellow downy mildew spots on the top of the leaves and black lesions with white downy mildew growth on the bottom of the leaves. Even lesions 1/8-inch in diameter can produce spores.

3. Make the first fungicide spray when the first foggy morning is predicted. Fog means the leaves will stay wet all night and a good part of the morning. The lack of sunshine on foggy mornings also allows downy mildew spores to stay alive longer than on sunny mornings, when UV light will kill them in about 24 hours.

4. Potassium phosphite is a very effective, economical alternative fungicide against brassica downy mildew. It is probably “good enough” by itself during sunny periods without rain. Note that it is not labeled for certified organic production.

5. During rainy periods, rotate effective conventional fungicides, like Zampro or Presidio, with potassium phosphite. Fungicide rotation is critical for leafy brassica greens left in the field for more than 2 months when leaves are cropped repeatedly. Zampro may be applied only 3 times per crop. Presidio may be applied 3 times at the 4-ounce rate or 4 times at the 3-ounce rate.

For more info on brassica downy mildew, see Dr. Keinath and Tim Bryant’s article in the latest issue of the Clemson IPM Newsletter.