As a crop, potatoes play a critical role in the food security of many nations. However, potato growers often face many challenges that can severely impact the potato crop, including blight disease. Blight can cause significant damage to the potato crop, leading to decreased yields and potentially, complete crop loss. Therefore, understanding blight disease, its causes and how to prevent it is crucial.
Blight disease simply refers to a group of fungal diseases that primarily affect potato crops. The two most common types of blight that affect potato crops are Early Blight and Late Blight.
Early blight, which is caused by the fungus Alternaria solani, typically manifests as small, dark brown or black circular lesions on the potato foliage and lower leaves. These lesions may quickly become larger and merge with other spots or lesions leading to severe damage to the potato crop. Symptoms of early blight generally develop during the mid to late-season and are most common in warm and humid conditions.
Late blight is caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans and is the most dreaded blight disease for potato growers. Late blight has a varied symptomatology but can result in significant crop loss. Infection from late blight primarily begins on the lower leaves of the potato plants and eventually affect the whole plant. The fungus can cause the leaves to turn brown and papery while the stems and tubers develop dark and watery rotting patches. If not controlled early, the disease can advance rapidly within a few days, leading to a complete crop failure.
Fungal spores are the primary source of blight disease in potato crops. The spores can be dispersed by wind or splashing rain, which makes it easy for them to spread quickly and infect entire potato fields.
Controlling blight disease requires a comprehensive approach that combines both cultural and chemical control measures. Some of the cultural measures that can help prevent blight include crop rotation, use of certified pathogen-free seeds, using appropriate planting times, and good field sanitation practices that involve the removal of infected plant, stems or leaves from fields. Planting resistant cultivars is also another effective way of preventing blight.
Chemical control measures, like fungicides, are also effective tools in controlling blight. Once symptoms of blight are present, use of fungicides must begin as soon as possible. Fungicide application should follow manufacturer’s recommendations, and applications should be made before symptoms are present.
In conclusion, Blight disease can be devastating to potato crops, and therefore, adequate measures need to be taken to prevent it. Farmers should regularly monitor their potato fields for signs of blight disease and adopt appropriate control measures as soon as possible. This includes a combination of cultural and chemical control measures, which will help protect the potato crop and ensure a successful harvest.