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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Frederick, Maryland » Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #348615
Research Project: Biology, Epidemiology, and Detection of Emerging Plant Pathogenic Oomycetes

Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research

Title: Downy mildew: a serious disease threat to rose health worldwide

Author
item SALGADO-SALAZAR, CATALINA - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item Shishkoff, Nina
item DAUGHTREY, MARGERY - Cornell University
item PALMER, CRISTI - Rutgers University
item Crouch, Jo Anne

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2018
Publication Date: 4/10/2018
Citation: Salgado-Salazar, C., Shishkoff, N., Daughtrey, M.L., Palmer, C., Crouch, J. 2018. Downy mildew: a serious disease threat to rose health worldwide. Plant Disease. https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-12-17-1968-FE.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-12-17-1968-FE

Interpretive Summary: Peronospora sparsa is a downy mildew-causing pathogen that can infect roses, blackberries and other members of the rose family. During the last 20 years, this disease has become a serious problem for rose growers in the U.S. and worldwide. Rose production accounted for almost $29 billion in 2008 on the global scale, with U.S. production alone valued at >$262 million, according to the 2014 USDA-NASS Census of Agriculture. While much is known about rose downy mildew and its treatment, significant knowledge gaps remain in our basic knowledge of the pathogen's biology. In this publication, we provide a comprehensive overview of rose downy mildew disease, and identify key research initiatives that could strengthen efforts to control the disease, including improved knowledge of how the pathogen infects and survives in the host, better environmental control in greenhouse production (humidity, light, UV exposure), improved understanding of pathogen genetics, and improved breeding of resistant cultivars. This information will be used by plant health professionals, growers, regulatory personnel and scientists as a resource for managing rose downy mildew disease.

Technical Abstract: Peronospora sparsa is a downy mildew-causing oomycete that can infect roses, blackberries and other members of the rose family. During the last 20 years, this disease has become a serious problem for rose growers in the U.S. and worldwide. While much is known about the disease and its treatment, including significant research on molecular identification methods, environmental conditions conducive to disease and the fungicides used to prevent it, significant knowledge gaps remain in our basic comprehension of the pathogen’s biology. A proper understanding of the disease cycle could allow for better use of cultural and chemical controls to manage rose downy mildew in landscapes and in greenhouse and nursery production areas.