Stato attuale delle conoscenze su Cercospora beticola: dalla ricerca nuovi elementi per migliorare le strategie di lotta

Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by the fungus Cercospora beticola, is the major disease of sugarbeet in Italy. The control of CLS is traditionally based on a regular fungicide schedule aimed at maintaining a sufficient foliar concentration of the active ingredients over the entire season, with repeated applications at 18-20 day intervals. This traditional approach is still pursued, and research has produced new findings that can potentially improve disease control. EU policies impose new approaches in the control of sugarbeet diseases. The following aspects will be considered: (i) the pathogen life cycle and dynamics of the epidemics it causes in relation to the influencing environmental and cultural factors, with the support of the existing epidemiological models; (ii) the host, considering its genetic resistance, its growth in relation to the development of CLS epidemics and the consequent yield losses, with the support of action thresholds for fungicide applications; (iii) the fungicides, taking into account their effectiveness and dynamics of their foliar concentration over time, as well as the sensitivity of C. beticola populations.