Key Points
- Downy mildew can significantly reduce the yield of peas in some seasons. In severe cases almost entire stands can be destroyed and yield reductions of over 4 tonnes/ha have been reported.
- Downy mildew is favoured by cool wet conditions.
- Under high disease pressure Wakil XL and Aliette Super seed treatments have totally controlled the disease, resulted in increases in establishment of more than double the untreated plots and seed yield increases of 4 tonnes/ha.
- Under low disease pressure there were no yield increases in Wakil treated plots.
- Foliar fungicide treatments significantly reduced the incidence and severity of downy mildew but, although there were small increases in yield, these were not significant and the gross margins over the control were negative.