Downy mildew sighted in Germany: Are we facing another pandemic endangering gardens? [18.08.20]
Aquilegia, also known as granny's bonnet or columbine, is a popular ornamental plant with colourful flowers that is often found in gardens and parks. However, the sumptuous flowerage could soon become a rare sight. The plant pest Peronospora aquilegiicola, a type of downy mildew, infects Aquilegia and is currently on the rise. The East Asian fungus has already spread throughout England during the last few years and now has been found in Germany for the first time. This is documented in a scientific publication with Hohenheim participation. Now it is important to quickly identify the origin of infection to prevent this type of downy mildew from spreading.
Picture Credit: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/mehltau-brennessel-pilz-sporen-5251894/
Publication
Thines, M., Buaya, A., Ali, T., Brand, T., 2020. Peronospora aquilegiicola made its way to Germany: the start of a new pandemic? Mycol Progress 19, 791–798. doi.org/10.1007/s11557-020-01596-2
Abstract
Peronospora aquilegiicola is a destructive pathogen of columbines and has wiped out most Aquilegia cultivars in several private and public gardens throughout Britain. The pathogen, which is native to East Asia was noticed in England and Wales in 2013 and quickly spread through the country, probably by infested plants or seeds. To our knowledge, the pathogen has so far not been reported from other parts of Europe. Here, we report the emergence of the pathogen in the northwest of Germany, based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence. As the pathogen was found in a garden in which no new columbines had been planted recently, we assume that the pathogen has already spread from its original point of introduction in Germany. This calls for an increased attention to the further spread of the pathogen and the eradication of infection spots to avoid the spread to naturally occurring columbines in Germany and to prevent another downy mildew from becoming a global threat, like Peronospora belbahrii and Plasmopara destructor, the downy mildews of basil and balsamines, respectively.
