Sensitivity of Cercospora beticola to fungicides in Slovakia

Abstract

The fungus Cercospora beticola Sacc. is the one of the most important pathogens on the sugar beet. The frequent application of fungicides with the same mode of action increase a risk of development of resistant strains of the pathogen. Occurrence of C. beticola resistant strains has been never researched in Slovakia. In this work, C. beticola isolates were collected from 10 localities of Slovakia and analysed for fungicide resistance in laboratory conditions. Nine fungicides with different mode of action were tested – trifloxystrobin + cyproconazole, kresoxim-methyl + epoxiconazole, azoxystrobin + cyproconazole, thiophanate-methyl + tetraconazole, thiophanate-methyl, prochloraz + propiconazole, picoxystrobin, tetraconazole, and difenoconazole. The results confirmed, that occurrence of fungicide resistance in C. beticola population was established in Slovakia. Different criteria of assessment of fungicide resistance (based on EC50 and on growth rate – inhibition percentage) showed slightly different results, but both criteria confirmed resistant C. beticola strains to thiophanate-methyl, picoxystrobin and difenoconazole. Fields with higher frequency of application of these fungicides significantly supported the development of resistant strains. Assessment of any C. beticola strains have not confirmed reduced sensitivity to active ingredients tetraconazole and prochloraz + propiconazole. The lowest level of risk of fungicide resistance was confirmed in the locality Oslany. It is very important to focus on anti-resistant strategy and reduce of using fungicides on localities, where the occurrence of resistant C. beticola strains was confirmed – Dolné Saliby (thiophanate-methyl and picoxystrobin) and Senec (picoxystrobin and difenoconazole).

Keywords

• sugar beet
• cercospora beticola
• fungicides
• in vitro
• resistance
• slovakia