Potato late blight also affects tomatoes

Agronomists are aware of many diseases of potatoes. Late blight is, perhaps, one of the most dangerous of them. Its harmfulness increases significantly in temperate or humid climates.

This disease is common in all those countries where potatoes are grown massively. On average, crop losses can reach up to seventy percent.

Potato late blight is a fungal disease, the causative agent of which is a pathogenic organism. It affects tubers, stalks, flowers, root crops.

The first signs of the disease can be seen on the foliage and stems of the upper tier. Potato late blight is highly harmful, as it affects young and physiologically the most active parts of the plant, reducing their productivity.

With a decrease in the assimilating surface on the leaves of the root crop, the process of formation and accumulation of many nutrients is disrupted, especially in the phase of tuber formation.

As a result, brown individual spots with characteristic lead tinge appear on the leaves. They increase noticeably, very quickly covering the entire bush, and then shifting to neighboring plants.

In favorable conditions, the late blight of potatoes spreads so intensively that in just seven or ten days it can cover the entire area.

On the affected bushes in the early morning or in wet weather, a whitish coating appears on the lower surface of the leaves. This is the controversy of the plant fungus. In dry weather, the affected upper part withers, crumbling. After the rain, it quickly rot, spreading around a weak moldy smell.

Stem plant late blight of potatoes is characterized by the formation on the cuttings of bands of dead brown tissues. Sometimes they cover the entire upper part of the plant.

On the tubers, this disease manifests itself as firm, depressed, well-defined spots that are especially visible on the cut of the fetus. Other bacteria with fungi penetrate into the affected tissues, which further strengthen the decay of the root crop.

Potato late blight affects only the fruits that are in the early stages of maturation. In the beginning, a barely noticeable white round spot appears, which gradually spreads into the brown subcutaneous formation. Increasing in size, late blight gradually seizes all the potatoes, which softens and begins to rot.

This fungal disease destroys not only potato crops, but also nearby tomato bushes. Interesting is the fact that the crops of aubergines and zucchini are not completely affected, even with very close neighbors with infected plants.

Today, the fight against late blight of potatoes is mainly the use of seeds of resistant varieties. In addition, careful selection during the preparation of the material for planting is of great importance for limiting the development of this fungal disease.

In some countries, seed potatoes are treated with fungicides during storage. This is done to exclude the development of rot, including phytophthora.

Since the primary sources of infection are almost always diseased tubers, experts advise to destroy the dumps of potatoes, left after a bulkhead of the harvest.