Stability of garden strawberry to powdery mildew under simulated growing conditions

Abstract

The research was conducted on the resistance of garden strawberry cultivars with various ripening periods. The cultivars were grown in a climate chamber under controlled conditions simulating the spring–summer weather of the European North-East (Komi Republic). This approach was combined with the creation of an infectious background to study plants affected by powdery mildew. The cultivar samples were assessed for their resistance both to extreme growing conditions (with set parameters of humidity, light, and temperature in programmed regimes) and to infection of their aerial parts by powdery mildew. The study identified sharp diurnal and nocturnal temperature fluctuations (avg. 13±1 °C) as the primary factor limiting garden strawberry performance and the progression of powdery mildew infection. Under the simulated extreme conditions, cultivar samples were classified as showing low resistance or as being weakly or moderately susceptible to powdery mildew infection. The early-rip ening Melodiya and the mid-season Feerverk cultivars exhibited the most infection of aerial parts among planted seedlings. Moderate susceptibility to the phytopathogen was observed in the Izbrannitsa and Urozhaynaya TsGL cultivars, while weak susceptibility was noted in the Festivalnaya and Torpeda cultivars.