Natural Substances to Protect Potatoes Against Potato Blight (Phytophthora Infestans)

Abstract

Nowadays, increasing political and societal pressure to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides has become a topical issue for farmers and producers worldwide. There is a growing demand for the development of alternative plant protection products (PPP) that will be less harmful to the environment and humans. Plant biologically active substances represent one of the alternatives. Unfortunately, their registration as PPP and subsequent introduction to the market is quite difficult. Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of four natural substances (Alginure – seaweed extract, Wetcit – orange essential oil, thyme essential oil, and a hop extract) against Phytophthora infestans under field conditions. Specifically, their effect on plant health status, relative chlorophyll content, and yield parameters was determined. The research was carried out on two locations between 2019 and 2021. The efficiency of selected natural plant protection substances (in concentrations ranging from 0.125 to 1%) was comparable to that of conventional fungicides. Their application reduced traditional fungicides by 14 to 64%, depending on the locality. Moreover, the potato plants treated with the natural substances showed a higher overall and marketable tuber yield.