Factors affecting boxwood blight spread under landscape conditions

Abstract

We investigated the spread of boxwood blight in a simulated landscape under conducive natural conditions from 2017 to 2019. We used strict sanitation to greatly reduce or eliminate spread by contact. Movement of the pathogen from an infected source plant was limited to one plant, likely spread by means of water splash. Plants were mulched with composted hardwood chips and mulching likely was primarily responsible for limiting spread to only the adjacent plant. Boxwood (Buxus spp.) cultivar susceptibility and fungicide spray programs influenced the incidence of spread and severity of disease; in 2018 and 2019 the more susceptible cultivar had higher disease incidence and severity, respectively, than less susceptible cultivars. Fungicide application only caused a small reduction in disease incidence in 2018. We also demonstrated that spores in clumps could survive extended dry conditions, indicating the importance of sanitation procedures on reducing spread. This experiment demonstrates that boxwood blight can be controlled in a landscape by following best management practices including cultural, sanitation, host susceptibility and fungicide application tactics. Index words: epidemiology, fungicide management, Buxus, chemical disease management, mulch, resistance. Chemicals used in this study: chlorothalonil (Daconil WeatherStik 54.0% F), fludioxonil plus cyprodinil (Palladium 25% and 37.5% WDG), mancozeb (Manzate 80% WP), metconazole (Tourney 50% WDG), propiconazole (ProCon-Z 14.3 L), pyraclostrobin (Insignia 20 WG), pyraclostrobin plus fluxapyroxad (Orkestra Intrinsic 21.26 SC), tebuconazole (Torque 38.7 SC), thiophanate-methyl (Spectro90 50% WP). Species used in this study: boxwood (Buxus L.), boxwood blight (Calonectria pseudonaviculata (Crous, J.Z. Groenew. & C.F. Hill) L. Lombard, M. J. Wingf. & Crous.