Integrated Disease Management

An Introduction to Fungicides Part 2

Knowledge Requirements
When you complete this section, you should be able to answer these questions

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

What are the two major groups of fungicides? What are three ways to classify chemically-based fungicides? What categories are used to classify fungicides by topical activity? What is meant by mode of action of a fungicide? How are fungicides differentiated by mode of action? What is the difference between preventive control and curative control? 1. What is incubation period and why is it important in regard to selection and use of fungicides? 8. What factors enhance fungicide efficacy?

How are groups of fungicides classified?

There are two major groups of fungicides 1. biologically based fungicides (biofungicides) 2. chemically based fungicides

Biofungicides
Contain living microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) that are antagonistic to the pathogens that cause turf disease. Examples: Ecoguard contains Bacillus licheniformis Bio-Trek 22G contains Trichoderma harzianum
In the case of a biofungicide, the latin name of the microbe that it contains is the generic name of the fungicide.

Chemically-Based Fungicides
Synthesized from organic and inorganic chemicals Most of the fungicides that are sold throughout the world are chemically-based

Chemically-based fungicides can be classified (grouped) according to similarities in:

1. Chemical structure 2. Topical activity 3. Mode of action

Grouping fungicides by chemical structure

Grouping fungicides by chemical structure

There are 29 generic names (active ingredients) associated with turfgrass fungicides.

Active Ingredients (29) in Turf Fungicides

propiconazole triadimefon myclobutanil fenarimol triticonazole tetraconazole fluoxastrobin trifloxystrobin azoxystrobin pyraclostrobin flutolanil boscalid polyoxin D thiophanate-methyl iprodione vinclozolin mefenoxam propamocarb fosetyl aluminum phosphonate quintozene chloroneb ethazole mancozeb thiram hydrogen dioxide chlorothalonil fludioxonil cyazofamid

Grouping fungicides by chemical structure

These 29 names represent 16 groups that have similar chemical structures.

Generic Names of Turf Fungicides (29)

Chemical Groups (16)

propiconazole triadimefon myclobutanil triticonazole tetraconazole

triazoles

DMI* fungicides

fenarimol

pyrimidines

fluoxastrobin trifloxystrobin azoxystrobin pyraclostrobin

strobilurins

*Triazoles and Pyrimidines comprise a larger group of fungicides called demethylation inhbitors.

Generic Names of Turf Fungicides

Chemical Group

polyoxin D thiophanate-methyl iprodione vinclozolin

mefenoxam

polyoxins benzimidazoles
dicarboxamides

phenylamides

propamocarb
fosetyl aluminum phosphonate mancozeb thiram

carbamates
phosphonates

dithiocarbamates

Generic Names of Turf Fungicides quintozene chloroneb ethazole hydrogen dioxide chlorothalonil fludioxonil cyanofamid flutolanil boscalid

Chemical Group

aromatic hydrocarbons

peroxides nitriles phenylpyrolles cyanoimidazole carboxamides

It is important to know which fungicides are chemically related to one another. For example, you should know that azoxystrobin, trifloxistrobin, and pyraclostrobin are chemically related to each other. These fungicides differ chemically from a fungicide, such as propiconazole, which is in a different chemical group. Note that there may be anywhere from one to several fungicides per chemical group.

Why is it important to know which fungicides are chemically related to one another?
All fungicides in a chemical group generally control the same diseases. For example, the strobilurin fungicides provide good to excellent control of anthracnose, brown patch, gray leaf spot and summer patch. If you have purchased one strobilurin fungicide for control of these diseases, it is probably not necessary to purchase another. Since all fungicides in a chemical group control the same diseases, it does not make sense to tank-mix fungicides that represent a common chemical group in order to expand the scope of control. For example, to control anthracnose and dollar spot, tank-mixing two strobilurin fungicides will not work well because the strobilurins provide poor to weak control of dollar spot.

Why is it important to know which fungicides are chemically related to one another?

1. If a pathogen develops resistance to one fungicide in a chemical group, the pathogen is usually resistant to all fungicides in that particular group. In Georgia, the fungi that cause dollar spot, Pythium blight and anthracnose have developed resistance to fungicides in one or more chemical groups.

Grouping fungicides by topical activity

(What happens to fungicides after they reach the plant surface?)

Grouping fungicides by topical activity

Fungicides can be placed into one of four groups based topical activity

1. Contact fungicides
2. Localized penetrants 3. Acropetal penetrants

4. Systemics

Contact Fungicides
dithiocarbamates, nitriles, aromatic hydrocarbons, peroxides, phenylpyrolles, cyanoimidazoles

Contact fungicides act only on plant surfaces. They are not absorbed by leaves, stems or roots and cannot inhibit fungal development inside plants.

Localized Penetrant Fungicides

dicarboximides, strobilurins (except azoxystrobin and fluoxastrobin)

Localized penetrant fungicides are absorbed by leaves and move short distances within a treated leaf, they do not move from one leaf to another and they are not absorbed by roots. These fungicides inhibit fungi on treated plant surfaces and inside treated leaves.

Acropetal Penetrant Fungicides

benzimidazoles, triazoles, pyrimidines, carboximides, acylalanines, plus the strobilurins azoxystrobin and fluoxastrobin

Acropetal penetrants can penetrate plants through roots, shoots and leaves. These fungicides are absorbed by the xylem and move upward (acropetally) in plants. Acropetal penetrants inhibit fungi on and in treated plant surfaces and inside plant parts that lie above (acropetal to) the treated surface.

Systemic Fungicides
phosphonates

Systemic fungicides are the only fungicides that are absorbed into xylem and phloem and move up and down in plants. These fungicides inhibit fungi on and in treated plant surfaces and inside plant parts that lie above or below the treated surfaces. Note that the phosphonates are the only systemic fungicides.

Grouping Fungicides by Mode of Action

(i.e. classifying fungicides by target site within a fungal cell)

The body or thallus of most fungi exists as a microscopic network of cells called hyphae

septum

Septa divide hyphae into individual cells.

A fungal cell
contains many of the same organelles as other eukaryotes

vacuole

cell wall

nucleus
mitochondrion

cell membrane

ribosome

Fungicides can be divided into 2 groups based on mode of action in fungal cells:

1. Site-specific inhibitors
2. Multi-site inhibitors

Site-specific inhibitors target individual sites within the fungal cell.

Examples
vacuole DMI fungicides inhibit sterol synthesis in membranes benzimidazoles inhibit DNA Synthesis
carboxamides inhibit respiration

nucleus
mitochondrion

ribosome

Multisite inhibitors target many different sites in each fungal cell.

fungal cell

Vacuole
Nucleus mitochondrion

Examples
nitrile fungicides dithiocarbamates peroxides

Ribosome

Summary
Fungicides can be classified (grouped) according to similarities in:
1. Chemical structure - The 29 different active ingredients in turf fungicides comprise 16 different chemical groups. Why is it important to know this?
2. Topical activity Turf fungicides can be divided into 4 groups based on topical activity. What are the groups and how do they differ from one another? 3. Mode of action Turf fungicides can be divided into 2 groups based on mode of action. What are they and how do they differ from one another?

Preventive vs. Curative Control

Preventive vs. Curative Control

Preventive Control suppressing the growth of a pathogen before it infects and colonizes a plant. Achieved by all contact, penetrant and systemic fungicides.

Preventive vs. Curative Control

Preventive Control suppressing the growth of a pathogen before it infects and colonizes a plant. Achieved by all contact, penetrant and systemic fungicides.
Curative Control suppressing the growth of a pathogen after it infects and colonizes a plant. Achieved only by penetrant and systemic fungicides.

There is a delay of hours to weeks between infection by a pathogen and the expression of symptoms by a host

Infection

Symptoms

This delay is know as the incubation period. During this period, the pathogen (fungus) colonizes plant cells but symptoms have not been expressed.

Infection

incubation period

Symptoms

early colonization by pathogen

Incubation periods can range from several hours (brown patch, dollar spot, Pythium blight) to several weeks (anthracnose, many root diseases).

contact, penetrant and systemic fungicides work here pre-infectionproviding preventive control

only penetrants and systemics work here post- infection providing curative control

Infection

incubation period
early pathogen colonization

Symptoms

Enhancing Fungicide Efficacy

Factors that increase the effectiveness and duration of disease control

Enhancing Fungicide Efficacy

1. Fungicide sprayers should be calibrated to deliver at least 2 gallons of water per 1000 sq.ft. of turf.

Enhancing Fungicide Efficacy

1. Fungicide sprayers should be calibrated to deliver at least 2 gallons of water per 1000 sq.ft.

2. Flat fan or swirl chamber (raindrop) nozzles should be used for fungicide applications. Flood jet nozzles are not recommended. These nozzles produce droplets that are too large for effective fungicide coverage.

Enhancing Fungicide Efficacy

3. Use a nozzle pressure between 30 and 60 psi. 4. Do not tank-mix adjuvants (eg. wetting agents, stickers, etc.) with fungicides unless stated on the label. 5. Rainfall or irrigation up to 4 hours after fungicide application may reduce efficacy.

Remember
1. Fungicides cannot be used to eradicate a fungus from turf or soil. 2. Fungicides can only be used to suppress growth of fungi for a relatively short period of time (approximately 5-28 days depending on the fungicide and fungus).

End of IDM Intro to Fungicides Part 2