Seen all over the world, powdery mildew is the most common fungus on sugar beet. Erysiphe seldom causes big yield losses, but early infections, as sometimes seen in southern Germany for example, can cause yield losses >10%. Powdery mildew is favoured by warm conditions, and the disease prefers some dew and humidity in the night. Heavy rain however will shower away the fungus from the leaves.

We test our most important varieties and breeding material for resistance against Erysiphe. The aim is to offer robust varieties that can cope with a light powdery mildew attack.

• Choose varieties with good resistance to powdery mildew.
• In cases of early infection, control with an appropriate crop protection product is recommended and will pay dividends.