New Races of Sunflower Downy Mildew (Plasmopara Halstedii) in Germany

Plasmopara halstedii, the causal agent of downy mildew of cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus), was documented in Germany for the first time in commercial fields. The pathogen was first observed in the Württemberg area, where races 1 and 4 were identified using a set of differential lines. Later, commercial fields near Baden were found to be infected by race 5, which is the first occurrence of that race outside of North America. With the discovery of race 5, there are now eight races of the sunflower downy mildew fungus that have been found in Europe. The sunflower cultivars most frequently grown in Germany were investigated for resistance to race 1, 4 and 5; while all were resistant to race 1, none were resistant to either race 4 or 5.