Late blight of potato and its management through the application of different fungicides and organic amendments: a review

Abstract

Late the blight of potato is a devastating and one of the economic diseases of potato and other plants belonging to family Solanaceae. Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is one of the most threatening pathogenic diseases which not only results in direct crop losses but also cause farmers to embrace huge monetary expenses for disease control and preventive measure. It was first reported during the Irish Potato Famine, leading to massive starvation in Ireland and other parts of Europe during the middle of 19th century. Phytopthora harms the foliar portion in the field and also the tuber in the storage that can result in complete crop failure in potato. The pathogen has distinct survival mechanisms and two life cycles infection processes. The development of a sexual spore known as oospore includes two types of pairs, A1 and A2. The spores are introduced to good plants by wind and rain. Different methods for prevention of crops from late blight has been developed and used worldwide. An integrated disease management strategy includes successful control of this disease. Cultural control, chemical management, and advanced disease management are the most effective interventions. Integration of late blight control in tropical regions with abundant fungal inoculants in most months of the year was also seen as one of the best choices in disease management. This paper reviews the significance of late blight of potato and controlling strategies adopted for minimizing yield losses incurred by this disease by the application of synthetic fungicides and different organic amendments.

Combined effects of fungicides formulations and potato varieties on late blight management, yield and net farm income in Kenya

“…Generally, increasing rainfall and RH provided conducive conditions for P. infestans proliferation. These results are in agreement with previous reports (Baker et al, 2015;Naerstad et al, 2007;Tiwari et al, 2021) which showed the significance of weather in the progression of late blight epidemics. However, we noted that disease progress 77 days after emergence coincided with low rainfall and declining RH below the 95% (RH) during the last phase of crop growth.…”

Phytophthora spp.: Economic Plant Threats in Egypt

“…These phytopathogenic fungi are very deleterious due to their severe effects and resistance ability for many fungicides. So, the control of these pathogens is a very urgent approach to maintain Temperature plays an important role in its life cycle, where sporangia of P. infestans can germinate by a single germ tube at 13-21°C, and the emergence of late blight is accompanied by a moderate temperature (10-16°C) and high relative humidity [21,22]. The fungal growth is inhibited at 30°C or more, and it can further sporulate when the temperature be relatively moderate with high relative humidity near 100% [19].…”

“…The second phase of the life cycle starts in the moist soil bearing sporangia. Zoospores profusely germinate and penetrate the tubers through the wounds [21,22].…”

“…Nevertheless, some measures should be applied such as the selection of proper fields and taking into account the appropriate method, time and amount of irrigation. The proper field should have good water seepage, high drainage, free from inoculum sources (infected potatoes), and also free from the weeds which restrict the air movement within the canopy and block the access of fungicides to the leaves and tubers of potatoes, and alternative late blight hosts like hairy nightshade that supports the disease prevalence [21,22]. Sprinkler irrigation is a more adequate method for potato cultivation because it does not provide sufficient humidity that allows fungal growth and late blight disease incidence.…”

Neocosmospora rubicola, a stem rot disease in potato: Characterization, distribution and management

“…If yield losses by pathogens are reduced, potato has the potential to meaningfully assist in achieving the first United Nations Organization’s ( Quiroz et al, 2018 ) development goal of eliminating poverty and malnutrition in the world ( Chávez-Dulanto et al, 2021 ). Recent decades have witnessed a drastic change in the popularity of potatoes in Asian and African countries, which previously depended on other food crops ( Tiwari et al, 2021 ). Therefore, the ever increasing preference of potato consumption necessitates sustainable approaches to ensure the stability of potato production are a must ( Kroschel et al, 2020 ).…”