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Quantification of Airborne Inoculum as an Aid in the Management of Leaf Blight of Onion Caused by Botrytis squamosa

Botrytis leaf blight, caused by Botrytis squamosa, is a common and frequently damaging disease of onion crops, but the severity of epidemics varies widely from year to year. The disease is initiated and spread by airborne conidia. The relationship between airborne conidium concentration (ACC) and lesion development was studied in the field. A linear relationship was found between ACC and number of lesions per leaf: ACC values of 10 to 15 and 25 to 35 conidia m^-3 were associated with 1 and 2.5 lesions per leaf, respectively. In 2000 and 2001, at three sites, four different criteria were used to start a fungicide spray program and their effect on epidemic development was compared with that of a grower's conventional schedule. The criteria were: at the fourth-true-leaf growth stage; according to an inoculum production index; when the ACC reached 10 to 15 conidia m^-3; and when the ACC reached 25 to 35 conidia m^-3. A nonsprayed control plot was included in the trial. Fungicide programs started when the ACC reached 10 to 15 conidia m^-3 were as effective as the conventional program, but used fewer sprays. A fungicide spray program based on measurements of ACC and disease severity was evaluated in 2002 and 2003 in five and three commercial onion fields, respectively. At each site, half of the field was sprayed according to the grower's schedule and, in the other half, fungicide sprays were initiated when a threshold of 10 to 15 conidia m^-3 or five lesions on the lower leaf (whichever came first) was reached. Overall, the number of fungicide applications was reduced by 75 and 56% in 2002 and 2003, respectively, without causing significant yield reduction. In both years, the reduction in number of fungicide applications was due mainly to the delay in initiation of the fungicide program.