Building Resilient Foliar Disease Management Strategies for the Table Beet Industry
Project Director
Sarah J. Pethybridge
Year Funded
2019
Award Number
2019-51300-30246
Funded Institution
New York Ag. Experiment Station
Grant Program
OREI (Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative)
USDA NIFA Report
Project Overview
Defoliation of table beet by the fungal pathogens Cercospora beticola (Cercospora leaf spot, CLS) and Phoma betae (Phoma leaf spot, PLS) interferes with harvest by top-pulling machinery. This project evaluated cultural practices, varietal resistance, NOP-allowed fungicides, and UV-C light against CLS and PLS. Field trials were conducted at two sites in New York, and UV-C dose-response trials were conducted on C. beticola cultures and CLS-inoculated plants.
Farmer Takeaways
(1) Both CLS and PLS are seed-borne. Use disease-free seed or treat seed with OMRI-listed copper or boron products to reduce disease.
(2) Infested crop residues (even when tilled in) and weeds in the chenopod and amaranth families are major sources of CLS; a four-year rotation reduces risks.
(3) Phoma betae can cause both PLS and root decay.
(4) OMRI-listed foliar sprays LifeGard, Cueva, and Double Nickel reduced severity of both CLS and PLS. Cueva + Double Nickel provide 90% control of CLS.
(5) Cercospora beticola rapidly evolves resistance to fungicides – rotate products.
(6) Two new cultivars – ‘Bazzu’ and ‘Irazu’ – showed enhanced resistance to CLS and PLS in research station and on-farm trials.
(7) Nighttime UV-C treatment of young (2-4 weeks) crops may enhance CLS control.
Project Outputs
Sharma, P., Pethybridge, S., Murphy, S., & Kikkert, J. 2024. “Susceptibility of Selected Table Beet Cultivars to Foliar Diseases.” VegEdge 20(2) Feb 7, 2024, pp 4-6.
Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management, Second Edition | Cornell Cooperative Extension
Sharma, P., Murphy, S., Kikkert, J. R., & Pethybridge, S. J. 2024. “Susceptibility of Table Beet Cultivars to Foliar Diseases in New York.” Plant Health Progress, 25(4), 399–409.
Sharma, P., Murphy, S. P., Kikkert, J. R., & Pethybridge, S. J. 2025. “Evaluation of foliar fungicides for Cercospora leaf spot management in table beet in New York.” Crop Protection, 188, 107028.