In the western regions today, it is almost impossible to find a field free of sclerotiniosis — Mykola Suchek

In Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, and Bukovyna regions, it is practically impossible to find a field free from sclerotiniosis today. The issue of sclerotiniosis was discussed by Mykola Suchek, the director of the agrotechnical department of ProPole. According to the expert, the infection of crops occurs in an "avalanche-like wave," as crop rotation in the central-western forest-steppe is too saturated with sunflower. Meanwhile, the south and east of the country have been gradually abandoning the crop since 2015, so the pathogen accumulates specifically in these regions. In Ukraine, the area sown with crops has remained at 5 million hectares. "Therefore, since 2015, we have had a steady trend of sclerotinia accumulation in our soils. Sclerotiniosis is not a specialized disease. It is capable of affecting over 200 species of dicotyledonous crops, but it causes the most damage to sunflower, soybean, and rapeseed," emphasizes the expert. The disease manifests in two stages—underground and ...