Cultural Practices and the Incidence of Sorghum Downy Mildew in Grain Sorghum

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Abstract
Several cultural practices that reduce the incidence of sorghum downy mildew (SDM) in grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor] were evaluated in field and greenhouse studies. Growth of oats, barley, flax, sudangrass, or cowpea for 15 days and maize for 17 days in soils infested with P. sorghi significantly reduced SDM inoculum potential. The results suggest merit for short-term crop rotations. Deep plowing of inested plant residue with a moldboard plow reduced the incidence of infection within the field and significantly increased the grain yield of a commercial hybrid incurring > 20% infection with conventional plowing. Delaying planting until April reduced the incidence of disease in 2 hybrids in a 1979 field test.