Effect of Timing of Fungicide Applications on Development of Rusts on Daylily, Geranium, and Sunflower

Integrated disease management should provide the most effective means of controlling rusts on ornamental crops over time, and fungicides are an important component of an integrated rust management program. Proper timing of fungicide applications is critical for effective disease management; however, information about application timing is lacking for rusts on ornamental crops. The objective of this study was to determine how fungicides affected rust development on daylily, geranium, and sunflower plants when applied several days before or after inoculation. Five fungicides registered for use against rusts on ornamental crops were evaluated: the strobilurin azoxystrobin; three sterol biosynthesis inhibiting fungicides-myclobutanil, propiconazole, and triadimefon; and the broad spectrum protectant chlorothalonil. All five fungicides significantly reduced lesion development by rust pathogens on daylily, geranium, and sunflower plants when these compounds were applied preventatively up to 15 days before inoculation and infection with a few exceptions (e.g., propiconazole on geranium and triadimefon on sunflower). Curative activity, which resulted from fungicide application after inoculation, was observed for the three rusts with some products (azoxystrobin on all three plants and myclobutanil, propiconazole, and triadimefon on geranium) when applied up to 7 days postinoculation. In general, fungicide efficacy with several of the products decreased as the time from application to inoculation (preventative activity) or inoculation to application (curative activity) increased.