Hort. Sci. (Prague), 2026, 53(1):1-14 | DOI: 10.17221/38/2025-HORTSCI

Powdery mildew (Erysiphales) on ornamental plants in the Czech RepublicOriginal Paper

Markéta Michutová ORCID...1, Maria Neoralová ORCID...1, Barbora Jilková ORCID...1, Jana Vichová ORCID...1, Helena Pluhačková ORCID...1, Ivana Šafranková ORCID...1
1 Department of Crop Science, Breeding and Plant Medicine, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic

Ornamental perennials are highly popular and irreplaceable plants commonly used for enhancing public spaces and private gardens. One of the most frequently occurring pathogens is powdery mildew, a parasitic fungus that covers leaves, stems, and flowers with a whitish to light grey mycelium and reproductive structures. It significantly reduces not only the lifespan of plants but also their aesthetic value. A field survey of ornamental plants infected with powdery mildew was conducted during the growing seasons of 2021–2023 in the Czech Republic. Thirty-nine species and cultivars of infected plants from 17 families were collected from botanical gardens, private gardens, and city parks, and 26 species of powdery mildew were identified. Species identification was based on a combination of morphological and PCR-based molecular analyses. The most frequently represented genus was Golovinomyces (13 species and varieties of powdery mildew on 21 plant samples from eight families), followed by five species of the genus Erysiphe on seven plant species from five families, and seven species of the genus Podosphaera on ten plant species from five families. The species Neoërysiphe galeopsidis was identified on a single plant sample. Two new powdery mildew species (Golovinomyces savulescui, Erysiphe knautie) were identified in the Czech Republic, and the host range of several species was clarified. Golovinomyces bolayi was confirmed on Campanula lactiflora and Veronica longifolia, Erysiphe macleaye on Dicentra spectabilis, and Podosphaera xantii on Calendula officinalis, Chrysanthemum sp., Dahlia pinnata, and Gerbera × hybrida.

Keywords: Erysiphe; Golovinomyces; morphology; Neoërysiphe; PCR; perennials; Podosphaera

Received: March 14, 2025; Revised: September 2, 2025; Accepted: September 4, 2025; Prepublished online: March 23, 2026; Published: March 27, 2026  Show citation

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Michutová M, Neoralová M, Jilková B, Vichová J, Pluhačková H, Šafranková I. Powdery mildew (Erysiphales) on ornamental plants in the Czech Republic. Horticultural Science. 2026;53(1):1-14. doi: 10.17221/38/2025-HORTSCI.
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