Irrigation Timing Impacts the Efficacy of Foliar-Applied Fungicides Toward Foliar and Soilborne Pathogens of Peanut

Comparison of Current Peanut Fungicides Against Athelia rolfsii Through a Laboratory Bioassay of Detached Plant Tissues

Southern stem rot of peanut, caused by Athelia rolfsii, is an important fungal disease that impacts peanut production worldwide. Foliar-applied fungicides are used to manage the disease, and several fungicides have been recently registered for southern stem rot control in peanuts. This study compared fungicidal, residual, and potential systemic activity of current fungicides against A. rolfsii using a laboratory bioassay. Peanut plants grown in the field were treated with eight fungicides approximately 90 days after planting, and plants were collected for the laboratory bioassay weekly for 5 weeks following application. Peanut plants were separated into the newest fully mature leaf present at sample collection, the second newest fully mature leaf present at the time of fungicide application, the upper stem, and the crown tissues. Each plant tissue was inoculated with A. rolfsii then incubated at 30°C for 2 days. Lesion length was measured, and percent inhibition of fungal growth by each fungicide relative to the control was calculated. All fungicides provided the greatest inhibition of A. rolfsii on leaf tissues that were present at the time of fungicide application, followed by the newly grown leaf and upper stem. Little inhibition occurred on the crown. Fungal inhibition decreased at similar rates over time for all fungicides tested. Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors provided less basipetal protection of upper stems than quinone outside inhibitor or demethylation inhibitor fungicides. Properties of the fungicides characterized in this study, including several newly registered products, are useful for developing fungicide application recommendations to maximize their efficacy in controlling both foliar and soilborne peanut diseases.

Peanut disease epidemiology under dynamic microclimate conditions and management practices in North Florida

Diverse field characteristics, weather patterns, and management practices can result in variable microclimates. The objective was to relate in-field microclimate conditions with peanut diseases and yield and determine the effect of irrigation and fungicides within these environments. Irrigation did not have a major impact on disease and yield. Stem rot (Athelia rolfsii) and early (Passalora arachidicola) and late (Nothopassalora personata) leaf spot were most affected by changes in environmental patterns across seasons. Average non-treated stem rot was 12.9% in 2017 which dropped considerably in 2018 to 0.2% but emerged again in 2019 to 3.2%. Stem rot incidence varied across the field, and the response to fungicides depended on management zone. Leaf spot defoliation in non-treated plots was severe in 2019 reaching an average of 73% at 126 days after planting but only reached 15% in 2017 and 35% in 2019 at the same stage. A low-input fungicide schedule was able to reduce foliar disease in all zones and seasons, but the microclimatic conditions in the low-lying area favored leaf spot in 2017 and 2018 although not in the dryer 2019 season. Seasonal differences in disease and plant growth affected the level of protection against average yield loss using a standard low-input program which in 2017 (527 kg/ha) was not as great as 2018 (2,235 kg/ha) or 2019 (1,763 kg/ha). Disease prediction models built on dynamic environmental factors in the context of multiple pathogens and natural field conditions could be developed to improve within-season management decisions for more efficient fungicide inputs.

Disease and Yield Response of a Stem-rot-resistant and -Susceptible Peanut Cultivar under Varying Fungicide Inputs

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) producers rely on costly fungicide programs to manage stem rot, caused by Sclerotium rolfsii. Planting disease-resistant cultivars could increase profits by allowing for the deployment of less-expensive, lower-input fungicide programs. Field experiments were conducted to characterize stem rot and early and late leaf spot (caused by Passalora arachidicola and Nothopassalora personata, respectively), yield, and overall profitability of cultivars Georgia-06G (stem-rot-susceptible) and Georgia-12Y (stem-rot-resistant) as influenced by seven commercial fungicide programs. Stem rot incidence was consistently lower on Georgia-12Y for all fungicides when compared with Georgia-06G and was lowest for both cultivars in plots treated with prothioconazole plus a tank mixture of penthiopyrad and tebuconazole. Leaf spot severity was similar for both the resistant and susceptible cultivars, and the greatest reduction occurred in plots treated with prothioconazole plus a tank mixture of penthiopyrad and tebuconazole. Fungicide programs gave similar yield and net return on Georgia-12Y; however, plots of Georgia-06G treated with prothioconazole plus a tank mixture of penthiopyrad and tebuconazole had the greatest yield and net return. Yields and economic return from the highest level of fungicide inputs on Georgia-06G were numerically less than those of Georgia-12Y treated with only chlorothalonil. These results show the value of fungicides in peanut disease management with susceptible cultivars, as well as the benefits of planting stem-rot-resistant cultivars in high-risk situations.

Comparative assessment of herbicide and fungicide runoff risk: a case study for peanut production in the Southern Atlantic Coastal Plain (USA)

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is produced intensively in the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain of the eastern USA. To effectively protect the region's water quality data are needed which quantify runoff of pesticides used to protect these crops. Fungicides are used intensively yet there is little published data which describe their potential for loss in surface runoff. This study compared runoff of a fungicide, tebuconazole (α-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl]-α-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-ethanol), and an herbicide, metolachlor (2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide) from 0.2 ha fields in strip (ST), a commonly used conservation-tillage practice, and conventional tillage (CT) near Tifton, GA (USA). Following their first application, metolachlor and tebuconazole were detected at high frequency in runoff. Concentrations and their annual losses increased with application frequency and runoff event timing and frequency with respect to applications, and when fields were positioned at the top of the slope and CT was practiced. Runoff one day after treatment (DAT) contributed to high tebuconazole runoff loss, up to 9.8% of the amount applied on an annual basis. In all cases, metolachlor loss was more than 10 times less even though total application was 45% higher. This was linked to the fact that the one metolachlor application to each crop was in May, one of the region's driest months. In sum, studies showed that fungicide runoff rates may be relatively high and emphasize the need to focus on these products in future studies on peanut and other crops. The study also showed that peanut farmers should be encouraged to use conservation tillage practices like ST which can substantially reduce pesticide runoff.