Powdery Mildew on Barley
Powdery mildew on barley is a fungal disease. You can recognize it by looking for fluffy white patches on the leaf surface of your barley plants. These spots get grayer as they mature. Barley with powdery mildew can appear as small, isolated areas of white. The disease can also cover the entire leaf surface as fungal spores germinate and infect the leaf. When you see powdery mildew on barley, remember that the spores are using up the nutrients the plant requires to grow, reducing photosynthesis. This means that barley with powdery mildew won’t have much vigor and may stop growing entirely. The barley leaves can also die prematurely.
Treating Barley Powdery Mildew
If you are wondering how to treat barley powdery mildew, unfortunately, it is not easily done. There is no magic wand to cure the problem and treating barley powdery mildew is difficult in a home garden. While it is possible to buy foliar fungicides that provide some barley powdery mildew barley control, this is expensive. You also have to apply it at least twice and sometimes even more often. Instead of treating barley powdery mildew, experts recommend managing the disease with good cultural practices. Perhaps most important is to select a barley cultivar carefully, planting only those that are resistant to powdery mildew. In addition to planting resistant cultivars, you can take other steps to prevent this disease from attacking your barley crop. Since barley that is planted early has a higher risk for infection, it’s a good idea to plant later rather than earlier. Crop rotation, good garden clean-up, and keeping down nearby weeds can also help prevent the overwintering of spores. It will also help if you don’t plant barley in dense stands or fertilize with high amounts of fertilizer.
