Potential alternative hosts for a powdery mildew on pea

Abstract

Powdery mildew of pea (Pisum sativum) is an important disease in the field and in the greenhouse. The most widely documented powdery mildew on pea is Erysiphe pisi, but E. trifolii and E. baeumleri have also been reported. From greenhouse-grown peas, we obtained powdery mildew samples with rDNA ITS sequences nearly identical to previously deposited sequences of E. trifolii. Because detailed studies on host range of this pea powdery mildew in the US Pacific Northwest were lacking, we tested common legume plants from the region as potential alternative hosts. Eleven species were used in greenhouse cross inoculation studies: Lens culinaris, Glycine max, Melilotus albus, M. officinalis, Medicago polymorpha, M. lupulina, M. scutellata, Lathyrus latifolius, Trifolium pratense, Vicia cracca, and V. faba. Except for Glycine max, all the plant species tested developed powdery mildew lesions in 10?14 days after inoculation. Susceptibilities of two of these species (L. culinaris and M. albus) were also confirmed with detached leaf assays. Results showed that all the above legumes (except soybean) are potential alternative hosts for the E. trifolii found on pea. Powdery mildews found on wild legumes (Meliotus albus and Medicago lupulina) were also confirmed to be E. trifolii, suggesting that the wild legumes could be inoculum sources of powdery mildew on greenhouse pea plants during winter months. These findings have implications in managing powdery mildew of pea.