Plant Diseases of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) and Their Chemical Control

This study were carried out to identify pathogens and determine the seasonal occurrence and chemical control of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) diseases from 2000 to 2002 in Gyengbuk province, Korea. Major diseases of safflower were, anthracnose caused by Colletotricum acutatum in open field, and gray mold by Botrytis cinerea in rain sheltered plastic house. Other diseases occurred were powdery mildew caused by Sphaerotheca fuliginea, collar rot by Sclerotium rolfsii, leaf spot by Alternaria carthami and A. alternata, rust by Puccinia carthami, root-rot and stem-rot by Phytophthora cactorum, root-rot and wilt by Fusarium oxysporum and damping-off by Pythium ultimum. Seasonal occurrence of anthracnose on safflower has begun from late April, and increased until harvesting, especially rapid increased after rainfall during stem elongation season that is from May to June. In open fields, maximum incidence of anthracnose was 67 ％ in late July. But in rain-sheltered plastic house, it was very low, about 5％ in July. Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea was most important disease in rain-sheltered plastic house cultivation. Maximum incidence of gray mold on floral head was 27.4％, whereas other diseases occurred below 1 ％. In the test of the chemical control of the safflower anthracnose, metiram WP, carbendazimkasugamycin WP and iminoctadintristhiram WP were the highest controlling chemicals. In chemical control of gray mold, iminoctadintristhiram WP, fluazinam WP and iprodion WP showed highest controlling effects.