As we know that Cucumbers are mostly made of water which makes them low in calories; they grow quickly as they receive watering. Most varieties will grow in any amount of space with the plants ability to climb, they come packed with many nutritional benefits; eating cucumber prevent dehydration, good source of fibre which helps lower blood pressure for diabetics, it encourage calcium absorption in the body for optimal bone health.
Downy mildew infects gourds, squash, pumpkins, melons and cucumber. Cucumbers are the most susceptible crop to this pathogen.

WHAT IS DOWNY MILDEW
Downy mildew is one of the most destructive foliar diseases on cucumbers. It causes significant losses in both field and protected culture production systems.
It is a disease of plants, especially in the raining season, caused by several fungus like organisms of the phylum Oomycota.
The downy mildew pathogen primarily infects the leaves, resulting in decreased photosynthesis. During favorable environmental conditions, the pathogen can defoliate plants and destroy entire fields within a week
HOW IS DOWNY MILDEW SPREAD?
It is spread from plant to plant by airborne spores. It is a disease of wet weather as infection is favored by prolonged leaf wetness. It starts with the lower leaves, the gradually ascend the crops infecting the upper leaves. The lower leaves are more affected because they are closer to the ground and splashes if rain ends on them. More so, there's is more overcrowding at the base than the apex of crops.
Overcrowding of crops also help in the spread of Downing Mildew as the leaves find it difficult to get dry easily; leading to prolonged leaf wetness- indirectly harboring this pathogen.

SYMPTOMS
 White, gray, bluish, or violet downy patches of mildew form mostly on the undersides of leaves in damp weather

 Pale green to yellow or brown areas usually develop on the upper leaf surface opposite the downy growth

 Affected leaves often wilt, wither, and die early. Stems, flowers, and fruits are sometimes infected.

 Seedlings may wilt and collapse

CONTROLLING DOWNY MILDEW
• Avoiding overhead irrigation can help keep leaves dry and lower disease levels, because downy mildew needs water to survive, the very best thing you can do to prevent downy mildew is to water your plants from below. Water that sits on the leaves of the plant gives the downy mildew a way to infect and spread on the plant. The spore of downy mildews spreads by literally swimming through water until they come across live plant material to infect. If there is no water on your plant leaves, the downy mildew cannot travel to or infect your plants.

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