Reduced Sensitivities of the Pear Scab Fungus (Venturia nashicola) Collected in Ulsan and Naju to Five Ergosterol-biosynthesis-inhibiting Fungicides

In Korea, EBI fungicides which are highly effective for control of pear scab and rust but of high risk for development of resistance have been frequently sprayed by majority of pear growers. To detect any possible resistance or reduced sensitivity in the field strains of scab fungus to five EBIs, difenoconazole, fluquinconazole, flusilazole, fenarimole and hexaconazole, sensitivity tests were conducted with fungal specimens collected in Ulsan and Naju where scab usually occurs and EBIs have been intensively sprayed for many years. As the strains for which values of the EBIs were largely shifted from those of base-line were occasionally found, the resistant or less sensitive strains were supposed to be distributed. In the activity test for the EBIs by artificial inoculation, in which EBI-treated pear leaves on the potted seedlings were inoculated with fungal spores collected in the two regions, development of resistances to EBIs were confirmed. Since the fungal spores collected at 4 and 2 orchards in Naju and Ulsan, respectively, produced much higher disease incidence on the leaves treated with hexaconazole than those on the untreated control, those fungal specimens were determined as resistant to hexaconazole. Similar results were also obtained with two specimens from Ulsan for flusilazole.