Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew on plants is a fungus that can infect a wide range of plants. It's easy to notice since it looks like light grey or white powdery spots on infected leaves, but it can also be found below, on stems, flowers, fruit, or vegetables. Powdery mildew has a wide variety of species, each of which targets a particular type of plant. Cucurbits (squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, melons), nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers), roses, and legumes are all regularly affected in the garden (beans, peas).

A layer of mildew made up of many spores grows on the top of the leaves when the fungus begins to take over one of your plants. The wind then carries these spores to neighboring plants. Powdery mildew can stifle your plant's growth and, if the infection is serious enough, impair fruit yield and quality.

Causes of Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew flourishes in hot, dry conditions, but it also requires a high level of humidity, such as the hot days and cool nights of late spring and early summer. Powdery mildew thrives in settings where there isn't enough sunlight and there isn't enough air circulation.

Although rarely lethal, it can cause major damage to your plants by depriving them of water and nutrients if left untreated. Plants can become weak, bloom less, and develop slower as a result of most illnesses, which cause mild harm such as leaves turning yellow or getting withering or deformed.

Powdery mildew spores are usually carried into your garden by the wind, but if you've had previous outbreaks ( Infected before ), new outbreaks could be caused by dormant spores in old vegetative material or surrounding weeds.

Powdery mildew, unlike many other fungal diseases, flourishes in warm, dry conditions (60-80°F / 15-27°C), albeit it does require a high relative humidity (i.e., humidity around the plant) to spread. It does not spread as quickly in cooler, rainier locations, and it is also delayed by temperatures above 90°F (32°C). Plants in gloomy places are also more affected than those under full sunlight.

Symptoms of Powdery Mildew

• Powdery mildew-infected plants or powdery mildew disease appear to have been sprinkled with flour.

• It normally appears as round, powdery white patches on leaves, stems, and occasionally fruit.

• Powdery mildew normally grows on the tops of the leaves, although it can also grow on the undersides.

• Damage to young foliage is the most common. The leaves become yellow and shrivel up.

• Some leaves may twist, shatter, or become deformed as a result of the fungus.

• Powdery mildew's white patches will spread to cover the majority of the leaves or affected areas.

• In addition, the leaves, buds, and developing tips will be deformed. Late in the growth season, these symptoms frequently occur.

Powdery Mildew Prevention

• Powdery mildew (powdery mildew causal organism) is best controlled through proactive prevention, as it is with many pests and diseases.

• Powdery mildew-resistant plants are ideal for your landscape. Many mildew-resistant cucurbit cultivars (melons, cucumbers, squash, and so on) have been produced and are available from major seed companies.

• Powdery mildew on plants thrives in shaded regions, so locate plant in the sunniest spots possible.

• To assist reduce relative humidity, trim overloaded areas to encourage air circulation around your plants.

• Maintain enough distance between plants and keep them away from walls and fences to promote proper air circulation and lower relative humidity.

• Watering from above can aid in the removal of spores from leaves. Wet foliage, on the other hand, can often lead to the development of other common diseases, so don't rely on it as a preventative measure.

Powdery Mildew Disease -How to Get Rid of It?

Powdery mildew management is tough to eradicate the illness once plants have become extensively infested, therefore focus on preventing it from spreading to other plants. Remove all sick foliage, stems, and fruit from the plant and dispose of it in the garbage or burn it. Any affected plant should not be composted because the illness can still be transferred by the wind and survive in the composted materials. 

Allowing pruning shears to contact healthy leaves after removing sick areas is not a good idea. To begin, use rubbing alcohol to sterilize your pruners.

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Powdery Mildew Control - Preventative Measures Made at Home

If plants develop powdery mildew there are a variety of ecologically friendly ways to get rid of the condition, few of them including:

• Sulfur, lime-sulfur, neem oil, and potassium bicarbonate are all effective organic fungicides for treating powdery mildew. These are most helpful when administered before an infection or when symptoms of the disease first appear.

• Many gardeners have found baking soda to be beneficial in curing powdery mildew. 1 quart of water + 1 teaspoon baking soda Because the solution will only destroy fungus that it comes into touch with, spray the plants extensively.

• Another effective home cure is milk spray. Spray on roses after diluting the milk with water (1:10) at the first indication of infection or as a prophylactic precaution.

Powdery Mildew Fungicide

Powdery mildew infections are usually minor, which is excellent news. Plants that are otherwise healthy will typically recover on their own after weather changes and with adequate care to increase airflow.

Often, treatment isn't required. Treatment methods that do not need the use of conventional fungicides are available for serious infections or a widespread problem throughout the garden. Fungi can acquire resistance to fungicides if they are used frequently. Both agriculture and human health are affected by this. But, many fungicides are there, which are very effective for controlling powdery mildew. But we should apply the fungicide that leaves little trace, and lasts for a longer period. Triadimefon is one such example. It can be sprayed with 1000–1200 WP of 15% wettable powder, 1 time every 10 days, and 2–3 times every 2–3 days. However, check with your local nursery for permitted fungicides in your area.

Powdery Mildew Treatment

Powdery mildew appears as dusty splotches of white or gray powder on the leaves and stems of diseased plants, as the name implies. Powdery mildew is often identified by splotches on the surface of leaves, but the disease usually begins on the undersides of leaves and spreads to stems, flower buds, and even fruit.

Although powdery mildew can affect a wide range of plants, each fungal infection is "host-specific," which means the fungi that infect that plant are unique to that varietal. In other words, the powdery mildew on your lilacs will not spread to other plants in your landscape.

Did You Know?

• Powdery mildew of rubber - Young rubber leaves, buds, inflorescences, and other immature tissues are affected by powdery mildew disease, which reduces rubber latex output by up to 45 percent. The disease is found across the rubber-growing world, with a high incidence rate in subtropical areas.

• Spots or patches of white to grayish, talcum-powder-like development characterize powdery mildews. 

• Powdery mildews thrive in hot, dry environments. Powdery mildew resistance and tolerance have been established in a variety of plants. Infection is more likely in succulent tissue.

Conclusion

When plant foliage is dry, illumination is low, temperatures are moderate, and humidity is high, powdery mildew develops. Powdery mildew thrives in the late spring and early summer, when the evenings are still cool and humid but the days are starting to warm up.

Powdery mildew isn't always lethal to plants; it's more of a cosmetic concern in many circumstances. Powdery mildew, on the other hand, can leach nutrients from the plant if left untreated, eventually causing the leaves to wither and yellow. This can make flowers look unattractive and expose veggies and fruits to sunburn. Powdery mildew can impair a plant's potential to produce and alter the flavor of fruits and vegetables.