Epidemiological aspects of the ringspot (Mycosphaerella brassicicola (Duby) Lindau) in the three species of cruciferous crops in Pamplona, Norte de Santander.

Several vegetables of the cruciferous family, such as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, are of great importance in Colombia, but their yields are limited by various Phyto pathological problems, including ringspot disease, although research results on this topic are scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate epidemiological aspects of ringspot disease in three crops: broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, in a vegetable garden in Pamplona, Norte de Santander. Incidence and severity were assessed, as well as the Area Under the Disease Progress Curve (AUCPE). The research was carried out in the vegetable garden of the Escuela Normal Superior de Pamplona (Teaching School of Pamplona) between February and June 2022. Weekly sampling was conducted in plots of cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli with similar planting dates to determine the incidence and severity of ringspot disease. Meteorological data were recorded. Pearson correlations and regressions were performed between these variables using linear, quadratic, and logistic models. The SPSS statistical package was used. The disease described different epidemiological curves in the three cruciferous species, appearing earlier in broccoli, but the Area Under the Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC) for both disease incidence and severity were higher for broccoli and cauliflower. Ringspot incidence and severity consistently correlated with crop age in all three species, but rarely with climatic variables, apparently due to the favorable and stable climatic conditions in Pamplona. The quadratic mathematical model was adjusted to the disease incidence as a function of age in all three crops, while the quadratic and logistic models showed a very good fit to the disease severity as a function of age in broccoli and cauliflower, and the quadratic model was better for cabbage.