Influence of powdery mildew on triticale

In 2005, a first major epidemic of powdery mildew on triticale occurred in Switzerland. The present study relies on perennial observation from 3 sites of the Swiss variety trial network for the inscription in the national catalogue. Eight recent varieties have been included in the observation scheme in order to test the severity of the infections as well as their impact on the yield. The results give evidence on 3 different host-pathogen interaction types, dependent on the variety: (1) low infection without yield loss, (2) high infection with reduced yield loss, and (3) high infection with high yield loss. The use of resistant varieties allows to control the disease in an efficient and an economic manner.