How does early blight affect potatoes?
Early blight of potato is caused by the fungal pathogen Alternaria solani. The disease affects leaves, stems and tubers and can reduce yield, tuber size, storability of tubers, quality of fresh-market and processing tubers and marketability of the crop.
Can you harvest potatoes with blight?
There is no cure for potato blight when your plants are infected. The first action to take is to cut off all growth above soil level and burn it as soon as possible. If however your potatoes below ground have not been infected then they can be harvested as normal.
Which crop is affected by early blight disease?
Early blight (EB) is a disease of potato caused by the fungus Alternaria solani. It is found wherever potatoes are grown. The disease primarily affects leaves and stems, but under favorable weather conditions, and if left uncontrolled, can result in considerable defoliation and enhance the chance for tuber infection.
What is the timing of early blight of potato in potato?
Early blight is principally a disease of aging plant tissue. Lesions generally appear quickly under warm, moist conditions on older foliage and are usually visible within 5-7 days after infection. A long wet period is required for sporulation but it can also occur under conditions of alternating wet and dry periods.
How do you treat early potato blight?
Treatment of early blight includes prevention by planting potato varieties that are resistant to the disease; late maturing are more resistant than early maturing varieties. Avoid overhead irrigation and allow for sufficient aeration between plants to allow the foliage to dry as quickly as possible.
How do you control early blight in potatoes?
Early blight can be minimized by maintaining optimum growing conditions, including proper fertilization, irrigation, and management of other pests. Grow later maturing, longer season varieties. Fungicide application is justified only when the disease is initiated early enough to cause economic loss.
How is early blight treated?
Tomatoes that have early blight require immediate attention before the disease takes over the plants. Thoroughly spray the plant (bottoms of leaves also) with Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide concentrate or Bonide Tomato & Vegetable. Both of these treatments are organic.
How do you treat early blight in potatoes?
What causes blight in potato plants?
Potato blight is a serious disease caused by a fungus called Phytopthera infestans. Its spores break away easily from an infected plant and are carried on the wind (as far as 30 miles) until they land on a susceptible plant. Blight can occur as early as June but is more common in July and August.
What can you do for early blight?
Treatment. Tomatoes that have early blight require immediate attention before the disease takes over the plants. Thoroughly spray the plant (bottoms of leaves also) with Bonide Liquid Copper Fungicide concentrate or Bonide Tomato & Vegetable. Both of these treatments are organic.
What does early potato blight look like?
The first sign of potato blight is dark blotches on the leaves, starting at the leaf tips and edges. They then spread, causing the foliage to shrivel and collapse. Blotches also appear on the stems, which turn black and rot.
How do you treat early blight on potatoes?
What causes early blight in potatoes?
Early blight of potato is caused by the fungal pathogen Alternaria solani. The disease affects leaves, stems and tubers and can reduce yield, tuber size, storability of tubers, quality of fresh-market and processing tubers and marketability of the crop.
Is there any early blight of potato in India?
According to Mathur, Singh and Nagarkote (1971), there have been outbreaks of early blight of potato during the past-5 or 6 years in the plains of Uttar Pradesh. The pathogen causes injury to the leaves as a leaf spot disease and instigates permature defoliation.
What causes Tomatoes to get blight?
The disease is caused by the fungus Alternaria solani, which can also afflict tomatoes and other members of the potato family. Potatoes become infected with early blight when foliage has become excessively wet due to rain, fog, dew or irrigation.
How often does early blight occur in the US?
Andrew P. Robinson, Assistant Professor and Extension Potato Agronomist, NDSU/University of Minnesota; Neil C. Gudmestad, University Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair of Potato Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, NDSU In most production areas, early blight occurs annually to some degree.