Late Symptoms

Blight Of
Leaves :
Potato
➢ Small, light to dark green, circular to irregular-shaped
water-soaked spots
Causative organism : ➢ Lesions often begin to develop near tip or edges
➢ During cool, moist weather, these lesions expand
Phytophthora infestans rapidly into dark brown or black lesions surrounded by
a yellow chlorotic halo
Hosts: Potato, Tomato
Stems:
➢ Weakened stems that may collapse causing death of
plant parts above the lesion

Tubers:

➢ Infected tuber tissues are copper brown, reddish or

purplish colour
➢ Secondary pathogens may convert the tuber tissues
into a bad smelling rotten mass

Management
Cultural Methods
❖ Field sanitation, burning of crop debris
❖ Early sowing to escape the wet, cool and humid
environment
❖ Use of resistant varieties like Janakdev, Khuma seto-
1, Kufri Sinduri and Kufri Jyoti
❖ Avoid excessive or night time irrigation
❖ High ridging (15cm) reduces chances of tuber
Late blight of potato is a potentially serious infection
fungal disease. The pathogen may attack almost ❖ Eliminate sources of inoculum such as hairy
any time after the crop has put up. Initially the nightshade weed species and volunteer potatoes
lower leaves are affected. Biological Methods
The disease occurs in humid ❖ Drenching seed bed with Trichoderma and dipping
temperatures with temperatures ranging seedlings before transplanting
between 4 and 29֯C.
Chemical methods
Cool nights, warm days, and extended wet
conditions from rain and fog is favourable for ❖ Preventive spray of 2.5 gm/lit Mancozeb in all parts
disease epidemics. of plants, 7-10 days interval for 4-6 times
❖ For curative spray, copper based pesticides Metalaxyl
1.5 gm/lit 10-12 days interval for 3-4 times