IPM and Vegetable Disease Control : Managing Pathogens with Information : SPINACH

Integrated Spinach Leaf
Spot Management
(Seed Crop)

Principle	IPM Practice
Volunteer spinach and discarded seed are primary sources of inoculum	Destroy inoculum by deep plowing; destroy seed screenings
Cultivars respond differently	Avoid planting semi-savoy types which are more susceptible than other types
Foliar fungicides need to be used preventively when weather conditions are favorable or when disease is first noted in the area Several fungi are involved in the leaf spot complex: Cladosporium variabile and Stemphylium botryosum	Chlorothalonil and EBDC fungicides have known efficacy against Cladosporium but are not very effective against Stemphylium; azoxystrobins are not yet registered but their effectiveness is under investigation; Cladosporium and Stemphylium are not oomycete fungi; therefore metalaxyl and fosetyl-al will not provide control
Severity of the disease increases at the time of pollen shed	Protective fungicides should be applied prior to pollen shed