Overview of sugar beet leaf spot disease caused by <i>Cercospora beticola Sacc</i>

Abstract

Cercospora leaf spot induced by the fungus Cercospora beticola Sacc is the most important leaf disease of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) in the world. Managing this enemy requires an integrated approach combining farming practices, resistant varieties, and chemical treatments. Indeed, chemical treatments against fungi provide control of the disease but generate another problem; the resistance to fungicidal molecules. Studies have detected the mutation points responsible for the resistance traits of this pathogen against the main fungicide groups (MBC, DMI, QoI). From the perspective of managing the resistance, alternative control methods such as the use of antagonists (fungi and bacteria).