Golovinomyces cichoracearum var. cichoracearum

(DC.) V.P. Heluta (1988)

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew, caused by Golovinomyces cichoracearum var. cichoracearum, is a relatively important  disease of tobacco in several Asian countries, Oceania, the Mediterranean and Africa where it occasionally causes significant losses. On the American continent it is mainly present in Canada.

It can also be found in several European countries. In recent years it seems that its incidence has increased in some of them (particulary Italy, Spain, and Greece ). For a long time, in France, powdery mildew of tobacco was considered to be a minor disease that caused severe losses only occasionally (in Lot et Garonne regions). However, since the 1990s the situation has become rather alarming especially on Virginia type tobacco. Currently there are no resistant cultivars to this disease. It usually appears in early July and develops during the summer.