Occurrence and Diversity of Peronospora viciae f. sp. pisi in Alberta, Canada
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Abstract
Downy mildew, caused by Peronospora viciae, is an important disease of field pea.
Surveys of pea crops in central Alberta in 2009 and 2010 revealed that the incidence of
downy mildew is high in this region, with yield losses of 20 to 25% in the most severely infected crop. Four pathotypes of P. viciae were identified when nine pathogen isolates from central Alberta were tested on a host differential set, with pathotype ABP1 found to be predominant. Random amplified polymorphic marker analysis also revealed the possibility of frequent sexual reproduction among P. viciae populations. A total of 81 pea cultivars and lines were assessed for downy mildew resistance under field conditions in 2008 and 2009, with 10 genotypes developing little or no disease. These results suggest that the deployment of cultivars with at least partial resistance may be an effective strategy for the management of downy mildew in Alberta.