Lost up to 90%: Blue mallow and downy brome critically threaten sunflower production

Downy mildew and broomrape are a serious problem in sunflower production, which breeders of the oilseed crop from the Dobrudja Agricultural Institute near General Toshevo have been warning about for years. They can drastically reduce yields or completely compromise the harvest, causing serious damage and leaving seeds or pathogens in the soil. "When it is on a large scale, downy mildew can lead to losses of up to 90%. Since perhaps 2018-2019, we have new extremely aggressive downy mildew races. Race 777 is the most aggressive race registered not only in Bulgaria but also globally," reveals one of the problems in sunflower production, phytopathologist chief ass. Maria Petrova from the Dobrudja Agricultural Institute. In the systemic form of downy mildew, the plant remains stunted, reduced. The head does not develop, and even if it does, it is sterile and does not yield. Broomrape is the other serious problem in modern sunflower production, for which aggressive races H and above H ...