Managing Powdery Mildew on Mint

Managing Powdery Mildew on Mint Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that commonly occurs on mint in the Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley of Washington. Scotch spearmint can be severely damaged while peppermint and native spearmint are usually not seriously affected. The semiarid environment in south central Washington is an ideal environment for powdery mildews. Free moisture on plant foliage is not required for infection by powdery mildews as is the situation for many other foliar diseases of plants caused by fungi. However, humid conditions such as those that occur in mint canopies when days are warm and nights are cool favor powdery mildew. The disease is most severe on young, succulent plants such as those resulting from heavy nitrogen fertilization and irrigation. Powdery mildew is often severe on mint grown in the greenhouse due to humid, shady conditions. Mint infected with powdery mildew is sensitive to winter injury. Powdery mildew appears on mint leaves, stems, and petioles as a powdery, white to gray coating of fungal mycelium and spores. Infections consist of discrete circular colonies of up to ½ inch in diameter and can become numerous, coalesce and spread over the entire plant. Colonies turn gray with age. Leaves may turn yellow and drop with severe infections. A name commonly applied to powdery mildew on mint is Erysiphe cichoracearum. This species historically was believed to have a very wide host range, but newer studies suggest that it should be subdivided into more than 20 species, each with smaller host ranges. In preliminary research at Washington State University, it has been determined that several species of powdery mildews attack members of the mint family (Lamiaceae) in the Pacific Northwest. A least two appear to be species previously unknown to science. This work has demonstrated that there is a complex of powdery mildew species occurring on mints and related plants in North America. Different control tactics may be needed to efficiently manage specific powdery mildew species on mint. Overwinter of the powdery mildews that infect mint are thought to be infected mint plants, stubble and wild hosts of the mint family. Powdery mildew spores cannot survive in a film of water because they absorb water and rupture. Because of this and the ease with which spores are washed from the plant surface, powdery mildew is generally not a problem in mint irrigated with overhead sprinklers from a center pivot system. However, when the overhead sprinkler irrigation is ceased for more than a few days, powdery mildew can increase very rapidly due to the humidity in the plant canopy. Fungicides are needed to manage powdery mildew in mint in central Washington. Timing of application is very important because once powdery mildew becomes established it is very hard to control. Powdery mildew can be controlled with sulfur, but again, timing of applications is critical for satisfactory control especially with sulfur. Initial applications of sulfur are usually made when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall. Sulfide from sulfur may contaminate mint oil. The time interval between sulfur application and harvest is extremely important in eliminating sulfide contamination and sulfur should not be applied within 30 days of harvest. Sulfur should not be applied if temperatures will exceed 90F within 3 days after application. Amistar, Headline, Quadris and Rally are effective powdery mildew fungicides. Headline has a 14 day pre-harvest interval, and Amistar and Quadris have 7 day pre-harvest intervals. Kaligreen can be applied the day of harvest. More information on rates and timing can be found on the fungicide label and in the Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook published by Extension. Powdery mildew may become resistant to Amistar, Headline, Quadris and Rally so fungicide resistance management strategies should be employed. Such a strategy would include beginning fungicide applications while disease levels are low, alternating with non-related fungicides (Amistar, Headline and Quadris are related), and limiting the total number of applications of vulnerable materials. Early applications of sulfur would be an effective and cost reducing fungicide resistant tactic.