Downy mildew of sunflower, caused by Plasmopara halstedii (Farl.) Berl. et de Toni, is a relevant disease of this crop. High virulent pathotypes have been identified in several countries, while there are few data on the spread of P. halstedii pathotypes in some important sunflower-growing areas of Europe. The goal of this study was to give up-to-date information on the pathotype structure of P. halstedii in Hungary and provide some actual data on the virulence phenotype of the pathogen for six European countries. Infected leaves of different sunflower hybrids and volunteers were collected in seven countries (Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey, Greece, Romania, and Italy) between 2012 and 2019. A universally accepted nomenclature was used with a standardized set of sunflower differential lines for pathotype characterization of isolates. The virulence pattern of the isolates was determined by a three-digit code (coded virulence formula, CVF). A total of 109 P. halstedii isolates were characterized. As a result of our survey, 18 new P. halstedii pathotypes were identified in Europe. Two out of the eighteen pathotypes were detected from the Asian part of Turkey. The detailed distribution of pathotypes in Hungary is also discussed.

White rot caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (SS) is one of the most devastating plant diseases of sunflower. Controlling this pathogen by available tools hardly result in acceptable control. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of plant resistance inducers, BTH (benzothiadiazole in Bion 50 WG) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on disease development of white rot in three sunflower genotypes. Defence responses were characterized by measuring the disease severity and identifying cellular/histological reactions (e.g. autofluorescence) of host plants upon infection. Depending on the host genotype, a single application of inducers reduced disease symptoms. Histological examination of host responses revealed that BTH and/or AMF pre-treatments significantly impeded the development of pathogenic hyphae in Iregi szürke csíkos and P63LE13 sunflower plants and it was associated with intensive autofluorescence of cells. Both localized and systemic induction of resistance was observed. Importantly,...

Two neem-derived pesticides were examined under in vitro and in vivo conditions to test their efficacy in controlling Plasmopara halstedii pathotype 704, a causal agent of downy mildew in sunflower. All the tested concentrations of neem leaf extract and the highest concentration of commercial neem product significantly reduced the sporangial germination under in vitro conditions. In in vivo experiment, 3-days old pre-treated seedlings with both concentrations of neem leaf extract and the highest concentration of commercial product showed a significant reduction in the infection indicating possible systemic effect of neem. When the seedlings were treated following the infection with P. halstedii (i.e., post-treatment), only the highest concentrations of neem leaf extract and the commercial product showed a significant reduction in the infection indicating curative effect of neem. Possibilities for the control of P. halstedii with neem-derived pesticides are discussed.

Sunflower is one of the major oil crops in the world. Diseases such as sunflower downy mildew (Plasmopara halstedii (Farl.) Berl. et de Toni) constitute a significant risk factor during sunflower production. Integrated pest management (IPM) is considered an essential tool against sunflower downy mildew; however, the pathogen variability repeatedly affects the efficacy of control measures. This article evaluates some vital elements of the management of sunflower downy mildew disease and analyzes current challenges. In addition, we outlined the options for the future integration of recent research and achievements related to sunflower downy mildew to achieve more sustainable sunflower production. Finally, a SWOT analysis was performed to consider internal factors, such as strengths (S) and weaknesses (W), and external factors, such as opportunities (O) and threats (T) connected to the topic.