Can potassium phosphite be integrated in late

blight control strategies in starch potato?

Erland Liljeroth
Plant Protection Biology, SLU, Alnarp, Sweden
 Can induced resistance be used in
practical plant protection – combined
with lower doses of fungicides?
“Help to self-help” against potato late blight

Beta-amino butyric acid (BABA) Phosphite

Alkali salts of phosphite ions

HPO32- / H2PO3-

• Taken up by plants but not

metabolized
• Induce resistance in many plants
• Oxidized to Phosphate, PO43- , by soil
• Normally not found in plants, few
bacteria. harmless?
cases in plant roots, in bacteria
• Also direct effect against oomycetes
• No direct effect on Phytophthora
• Salts have long history in plant
infestans
protection

Liljeroth et al. 2010, Bengtsson et al. 2014 Burra et al. 2014, Liljeroth et al., 2016
 Expression analysis of Phosphite treated potato
- Immune system process
- Defense response
- Response to abiotic stimulus
- Phenylpropanoid metabolic
process
- Response to wounding
- Defense response
- Response to jasmonic acid stimulus
- Response to salicylic acid stimulus
- Aromatic amino acid family
biosynthetic process
- Carbohydrate catabolic process
- Response to stimulus
- Defense response
- Systemic acquired resistance, salicylic
acid mediated signaling pathway
- Jasmonic acid and ethylene-dependent
systemic resistance, ethylene mediated
signaling pathway

3 hours 6 hours 11 hours

- Membrane lipid metabolic process

- Cell wall organization or biogenesis
- Phosphatidylinositol metabolic
process
- D-amino acid catabolic process

- Cell wall organization or biogenesis

- Cell wall polysaccharide metabolic
process
- Cellulose synthase activity
- External encapsulating structure
organization
Burra et al. 2014
 Field trials 2011-2013
Effect of Proalexin (Potassium phosphite) alone and in combination with:
Shirlan (Fluazinam)
Ranman Top (Cyazofamid)

2011: Proalexin, Shirlan, Combinations Bintje, Ovatio, Seresta, Merano

2012: Proalexin, Ranman Top, Combinations Bintje, Ovatio, Seresta, Merano
2013: Proalexin, Ranman Top, Combinations Bintje, Sava, Seresta, Merano
2014: Proalexin, Fungicide strategy*, Combinations Bintje, Perlo
* = Revus, Infinito, Ranman Top alternated

Randomized block design, 4 blocks

Plot size: 20 m2

Measurements:
Late blight development
Tuber rot after 3 months storage
Yield

Liljeroth et al., 2016

 Yield vs. Late blight severity in table potato

Field trials
2011-2014

Untreated
Fungicide
Phosphite
Combination

Liljeroth et al., 2016

 Phosphite efficacy depend on cultivar resistance

Open symbols:
Starch cultivars
Coloured symbols:
Table cultivars

“Degree of resistance”

Phosphite had best effect in

Liljeroth et al., 2016 more resistant starch cultivars
 Concerns with phosphite

• Not registrated as control agent in potato in Europé

• Plants take up but does not metabolize PO3 –> Residues
• EFSA
– Equated to Fosetyl-Al
– General very low toxicity
– ”risk to insectivorous birds” – data gap
– Effects on natural waters – data gap
• Current MRL: 30 mg/kg potato (COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No
991/2014)
 Residue levels
Analysis with ion chromatography

Year Cultivar Treatment Applied PO3 PO3 in tubers Percent of total applied
PO3 found as residue in
kg/ha mg/kg FW tubers
2013 Sava Control 0 -
Proalexin 12 times 7,5 L/ha 10,8 123 30
Merano Control 0 -
Proalexin 12 times 7,5 L/ha 10,8 205 35
2014 Bintje Control 0 -
Proalexin 12 times 5 L/ha 7,2 57 12
Proalexin 12 times 2,5 L/ha combined with Ranman Top
0,25 L/ha 3,6 27 18
- Below detection limit <0,01 mg/kg

Liljeroth et al., 2016 Maybe limited use possible in table potato?

Starch potato?
 Field trials 2015-2016 with starch potato
Effect of Proalexin (Potassium phosphite) alone and in combination with
fungicide program:
• Revus (T1, T3, T7, T8, T9)
• Infinito (T4, T5, T6),
• Ranman Top (T2, T10, T11, T12)

Randomized block design, 4 blocks Measurements: Late blight development,

Plot size: 20 m2 Yield, Tuber rot after 3 months storage
 Trial 2015

Treatment Cultivar Fungicide dose (%) Phosphite dose (%) Interval (days)
1 Untreated Kuras 0 0 7
2 Fungicide Kuras 100 7
3 Fungicide Kuras 50 7
4 Fungicide Kuras 25 7
5 Combination Kuras 50 50 14
6 Phosphite Kuras 100 7
7 Untreated Sarion 0 0 7
8 Fungicide Sarion 100 7
9 Fungicide Sarion 50 7
10 Fungicide Sarion 25 7
11 Combination Sarion 50 50 14
12 Phosphite Sarion 100 7
 Trial 2016
Cultivar: Kuras

Treatment Fungicide dose (%) Phosphite dose (%) Interval (days)

1 Untreated 0 0
2 Fungicide 100 7
3 Fungicide 50 7
4 Fungicide 25 7
5 Combination 50 50 7
6 Combination 25 75 7
7 Combination 25 50 7
8 Phosphite 100 7
9 Phosphite 50 7
10 Phosphite 25 7
11 Combination 50 100 14
12 Combination 100 100 14
 Results 2015

• Low dose of fungicides combined with phopshite: Less late blight infection,
maintained yield
• Low dose fungicide only: More late blight infection, maintained yield
 Results 2016

• Low dose of fungicides combined with phopshite: Less late blight infection,
maintained yield
• Low dose fungicide only: More late blight infection, maintained yield
Effects on starch content 2016
 Late blight trials 2012-2016
• 5 Trials
• Cultivars: Seresta/Merano2012-13; Kuras2016

Treatment Interval Late blight (rAUDPC) Yield (ton/ha) StarchContent (%) Starch Yield (ton/ha)
Untreated control 7 days 0.221a 45.2c 22.3b 10.0d
Fungicide 100% dose 7 days 0.090cd 49.8ab 23.1ab 11.5abc
Fungicide 50% dose 7 days 0.093cd 49.6ab 23.4a 11.6ab
Phosphite 100% dose 7 days 0.105c 49.4ab 22.4b 11,0bc
Phosphite 50% dose 7 days 0.129b 47.8bc 22.8ab 10.8c
Combination Fungicide50%/Phosphite50% 7 days 0.085d 49.9ab 22.8ab 11.3abc
Combination Fungicide100%/Phosphite100% 14 days 0.084d 52.0a 22.8ab 11,8a

• Reduced dose fungicides: equal yield and starch yield compared to full dose, but
some years higher late blight severity.
• Phosphite alone: significant lower starch content compared to fungicides only
(ANOVA: p<0.0008).
• Combinations: lowest late blight severity, highest yield and starch yield
 Alternaria infections in late blight trial 2016
Sept 6, 2016

• Despite that all plots were

treated 5 times with Signum

• Up to 25 % infection in
beginning of september

• Earlier years only minor

infections.
 Alternaria infection
All plots treated with Signum 5 times
Combinations Late blight fungicides Phosphite

Significanlty lower Alternaria infection with

Phosphite treatment compared to late blight
Fungicides (AVOVA: p<0.0014)
 Analysis of PO3 residues

Tubers from field trial 2015 and 2016

Means±SD from 4 replicate plots (mg PO3/kg FW)

Treatment Tubers
Kuras 2015 Kuras 2016 MRL table
Untreated control 0 0.7±1.5
potato:
Phosphite 2.5 L/ha (50%) 12 times (combined) - 44±6.6
Phosphite 1.25 L/ha (50%) 12 times (combined) - 27±9.7 30 mg/kg
Phosphite 5 L/ha (100%) 6 times (combined) - 55±9.7
Phosphite 5 L/ha (100%) 12 times 118±11.4 111±11.2
Detektionsgränsen var 1 mg/kg friskvikt
 Analysis of processed products

Processed samples from field trial 2015

Means from 4 replicate plots (mg PO3/kg FW)
Treatment Starch Pulp Fruit sap
Kuras Sarion Kuras Sarion Kuras Sarion
Untreated control 0 0 0 0 0 0
Phosphite 2.5 L/ha (50%) 6 times 0 0 19±3.6 15±2.8 2,7±0.6 2,7±1.2
Phosphite 5 L/ha (100%) 12 times 0 0 71±9.9 63±8.6 11±1.7 14±1.7
Detection limit: 1 mg/kg FW

Fiber and protein made from pulp and fruit sap, respectively
Pooled samples (mg PO3/kg DW)
Treatment Fiber Protein
Kuras Sarion Kuras Sarion
Untreated control 0 0 0 0
Phosphite 2.5 L/ha (50%) 6 times 0 0 7,7 13 per DW !!
Phosphite 5 L/ha (100%) 12 times 12,3 6,8 100 83,3
Detection limit fiber: 1 mg/kg DW
Detection limit protein: 7 mg/kg DW
Most of phosphite end up in wash water –
spread to fields – oxidised to PO4 – kinetics?
 Conclusions
• Phosphite in combination with reduced fungicide doses provide good late
blight protection and good yield also at long intervals.
• Phosphite reduced early blight severity.
– Effect of phosphite on Alternaria or K fertilizing or delayed
senescence?
• Phosphite alone gave lower starch content.
– Delayed senescence?
• Reduced fungicide doses give same yield as full doses, but some years
more late blight.
• Can phosphite integrated in control strategies reduce the risk of fungicide
resistance?
• Residue concerns in table potato, but maybe possible to handle in starch
potato?
• With limited use MRLs are not exceeded
• Registration against potato late blight possible in EU?
 Thanks to…..
Resistance Biology group
Led by Prof. Erik Andreasson
Plant Protection Biology, SLU Alnarp

Financial support:
• SLF
• Partnership Alnarp
• Lyckeby starch

Thanks to the Rural Economy and Agricultural

Societies ”Hushållningssällskapet” for performing
the field trials