Resistance of Cucumber Cultivars to a New Strain of Cucurbit Downy Mildew

Abstract

Downy mildew, a foliar disease caused by the oomycete Pseudoperonospora cubensis (Berk. and Curt.) Rostow, is one of the most destructive pathogens of cucurbits. From 1961 to 2003, resistant cucumber cultivars in the United States had sufficient resistance to grow a successful crop without the use of fungicides. The pathogen resurged as a major problem in 2004. Since then, the dm-1 gene has not been effective against the new strain of downy mildew, and yield losses are high without the use of fungicides. The objective of this experiment was to identify cultivars having high yield and resistance to the new downy mildew. The experiment had 86 cultivars and breeding lines (hereafter collectively referred to as cultigens) and was conducted in Clinton, NC, in 2007 and 2009, in Castle Hayne, NC, in 2008 and 2009, and in Bath, MI, in 2007 to 2009. Plots were rated weekly on a 0 to 9 scale (0 = none, 1–2 = trace, 3–4 = slight, 5–6 = moderate, 7–8 = severe, and 9 = dead). Mean ratings for downy mildew leaf damage ranged from 2.9 to 5.7 in Michigan in 2008 and 2009 and from 3.8 to 6.8 in North Carolina in 2007 to 2009. None of the cultigens tested in this study showed a high level of resistance, although differences in resistance were detected. Lines WI 2757 and M 21 and cultivar Picklet were consistently among the top resistant lines in North Carolina and Michigan. The cultivars Coolgreen, Wis. SMR 18, and Straight 8 were identified as moderately to highly susceptible. An unreleased hybrid, ‘Nun 5053 F1’, and the cultivar Cates were the top yielding lines overall. The highest yield in a single year and location was from the cultivar Cates in Clinton, NC, in 2009, with 25.6 Mg·ha−1. The best cultivars in this study were only moderately resistant and would likely require fungicide applications to achieve high yield and quality in the presence of downy mildew. Until high resistance becomes available, growers would benefit by using fungicides in combination with tolerant and moderately resistant cultigens.