Laboratory experiments on sugar-beet downy mildew (Peronospora farinosa)

The optimum conditions for Peronospora farinosa betae to produce spores were temperature 8–10 °C and relative humidity 90 % or more, but many spores were produced between 5 and 20 °C and between 80 and 90 % R.H. Most spores were formed in darkness after leaves were exposed to light for 6–8 h. Spores survived exposure to 60 % R.H. for up to 5 days, but were soon killed by temperatures above 20 °C. The germination capacity of spores collected from the field was often very small, but this could not be related to the weather. Most seedlings were infected when inoculated at the growing point and incubated in a saturated atmosphere between 3 and 15 °C for at least 8 h.