Downy mildew is a group of diseases caused by specialized oomycetes. The disease manifests as the appearance of yellowish or brown angular spots on the upper side of the leaves, delimited by veins. On the underside of the leaf, under humid conditions, a characteristic grey-violet, white, or bluish fuzzy growth forms. Pathogen development leads to yellowing and drying of leaves, stunting of plants, and deformation of fruits, which, in the case of high pathogen aggressiveness, can lead to crop death in a short period.
Disease development depends directly on meteorological conditions and agronomic practices. The pathogen prefers a cool, humid environment, with critical risk factors being heavy dew, fog, prolonged rain, high air humidity, and crop density. Optimal conditions for infection include nighttime temperatures in the range of +13…+20°C and the presence of droplet moisture on the leaf surface for more than 6 hours.
Assessment of variety resistance during variety testing is based on phytopathological recording of the degree of leaf damage, specialized screening of collection samples, and molecular analysis methods using DNA markers to find genetic donors of resistance. In production, a distinction is made between genetically resistant varieties possessing specific Dm-genes and tolerant forms capable of maintaining yield under infection due to active vegetative mass formation. Since new pathogen races can overcome genetic resistance, varieties require regular monitoring and renewal.