Summer is a challenging time for insect pests. Try a milk spray; (about 1 parts full cream (preferably organic) milk to 10 parts water) and spray it on affected plants. It develops characteristic spider-like (arachnoid) lesions on the surface of the leaves. As powdery mildew develops on the lower leaves and inner canopy, the best opportunity to protect plants and developing fruit is before disease establishes. Powdery mildew spores are much more likely to form on your plants during spring and autumn. Warm days and cool, damp nights enable the fungal infection to flourish. Powdery Mildew is a white spotted soft fungus, of which there are numerous varieties. MINECTO FORTE® a new tool for chewing and sucking pests. Vegetables and herbs that are likely to get infected with a sort of powdery mildew are cucumbers, squash, tomato, lettuce, Swiss chard, basil, rosemary, sage, parsley, lemon balm, mints, and hypericum. These Australian trials specifically highlighted that: AMISTAR TOP (500 mL/ha or 750 mL/ha) provides significantly better control of powdery mildew compared to a high application rate of AMISTAR 250SC when applied on a 14 day spray interval.The application of AMISTAR TOP at the highest rate (750 mL/ha) and shortest spray interval (7 days) provided the best control of all treatments, rates and spray intervals investigated. All are powdery in appearance, hence its name. There are other powdery mildews affecting tomato. Describe yourself: I get really sick of people thinking I am powdery. It exists as different strains. A warm summer evening, a little bit of moisture, a shady spot in the garden – sounds like a recipe for powdery mildew! There are various types of mildew that can affect different plants, sometimes at the same time. All are powdery in appearance, hence its name. Severe cases can defoliate the plant, and cause premature fruit drop and even kill seedlings. By Scott Mathew, Solutions Development at Syngenta. Feed your patch with complete balanced organic fertilisers. AMISTAR TOP is ideal for two consecutive applications at flowering/fruit set. The plant is usually worst affected lower down where it is more humid and sheltered. Tomato powdery mildew. As this fungal disease advances, the whitish parts of the leaves turn brown and shrivel, becoming dry and brittle. When young, powdery mildew forms as tiny white circles on the leaf, it then reproduces rapidly covering the whole leaf in a white fur. Different strains of powdery mildew can infect tomato crops, namely Leveillula taurica and Oidium lycopersici. AMISTAR TOP® is a broad-spectrum fungicide that combines the two active ingredients found in Syngenta’s proven fungicides, AMISTAR® and SCORE®. When planting out your patch leave plenty of room for each plant, overcrowding means poor air circulation and as we know – powdery mildew thrives where the air circulation is poor. The below table displays the results of a number of Australian trials conducted by Syngenta. Get loads of seasonal, sustainable gardening advice, regular news of workshops or monthly news of our Green Gardening Professionals program. Pick up any fallen leaves and dispose of them in the bin, do not compost, most home compost heaps are not sufficiently hot enough to kill off spores. This unique combination offers growers flexibility, compatibility and proven protection against a number of tomato diseases including target spot / early blight (Alternaria solani), late blight (Phytophthora infestans), sclerotinia (Sclerotinia minor), powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica and Oidium lycopersici). Three factors make tomato plants succumb to powdery mildew: environment (humidity or wet leaves), onset date (the earlier in the season, the more difficult controlling mildew), and treatment (the sooner, the better). Really wet weather, really low (or high) temperatures can reduce the likelihood of your plants suffering from Powdery mildew, though they are things you have no control over. cool nights, high RH) are present in glasshouses and polyhouses. Watering the leaves of a plant in the afternoon increases the humidity at night therefore increasing the likelihood that the spores will spread. When young, powdery mildew forms as tiny white circles on the leaf, it then reproduces rapidly covering the whole leaf in a white fur. The treatment is pretty much the same for all of them. An Oidium sp., possibly the imperfect state of Erysiphe cichoracearum, was observed on tomatoes growing hydroponically in a polythene house in July and Aug., 1980. cool nights, high RH) are present in glasshouses and polyhouses. Powdery mildew presents a common tomato plant ailment that strikes the stems and foliage. It won’t stop it but it will slow it in it tracks and allow your plant to continue cropping for a few more weeks – always apply any spray treatment in the early morning, otherwise you may be encouraging more fungus. The black and yellow Fungus Eating Ladybird (Illeis galbula) munches away at the fungus but NOT the leaf beneath! Heading from the summer season into the autumn period, it’s important that you keep an eye on powdery mildew infections in your tomato crops. Pathogens causing powdery mildew typically have narrow host ranges.