Fungal diseases in oilseed rape: research in the Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry

摘要

Starting in the seventies of this century when the production of oilseed rape increased in the Federal Republic of Germany, scientists of the Federal Biological Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry worked in the field of integrated pest management for diseases in rape. Research was focused on the diseases caused by the fungi Sclerotinia sclerotiorurn, Phoma lingam and Verticillium dahliae, concerning the biology, control, integrated control, thresholds of the fungi and forecasting systems, resistance of varieties and methods for resistance screening. The results of these efforts lead ultimately to strategies for the control of S. sclerotiorum and P. lingam. Useful data for forecasting were gathered when working with S. sclerotiorum. It was difficult to find thresholds or data useful for forecasting P. lingam. Recently a correlation between the incidence of leaf infection by P. lingam in December/January and the root neck disease before harvest (BBCH 81) was found, which could be the base for a threshold. Methods were developed for resistance screening, which are broadly accepted by breeders and official registration agencies. Overall, these activities particularly support the improvement of the resistance degree of new rape varieties against P. lingam. Future activities of the research will also include Cylindrosporium concentricum, Alternaria brassicae and Plasmodiophora brassicae, which become increasingly important in Germany. New biochemical methods will be involved in methods for resistance screening. Diagnosistechniques and forecasting systems will include biochemical methods as well as EDP-techniques.