Potato is vulnerable to several pathogenic organisms all of which can cause severe quality and yield losses. As a consequence, potato production is highly reliant on agrochemicals to manage the disease which harms the sustainability of the crop. One of the major diseases that is affecting potatoes is late blight. The symptoms of late blight include dark lesions on leaves and stems with white mold on the undersides of the leaves. The solution is to plant blight-resistant potato varieties such as Unica and Sherekea, practicing crop rotation and removing infected plants and debris. Farmers also are advised to apply preventive fungicides such as Equation Pro by Corteva and Infinito by Bayer.
Symptoms of Late blight on a potato plant
Another disease affecting potato production is Early blight. It causes yellowing of leaves and concentric on dark lesions. The solution for early blight are similar to late blight. Farmers are also advised to ensure good air circulation and avoid overhead watering. Powdery scab is also a common disease that causes scabby lesions on tubers which may affect marketability. The solution is to maintain soil Ph. between 5.2 and 6.0. Farmers should practice crop rotation with non-host crops and use seeds certified by KEPHIS to reduce the introduction of pathogens.
Bacterial wilt is another major disease affecting potato production. The symptoms include wilting,yellowing of the leaves and brown vascular tissues when cut. some of the solutions includes planting certified seeds, avoiding planting potatoes in areas with a history of bacterial wilt , improving soil drainage and avoiding excessive moisture. The last major disease is fusarium wilt. This is characterized by yellowing of leaves, stunted growth and browning of vascular tissue just as bacterial wilt. This is controlled by planting resistant varieties, improving soil health with organic matter and preventing waterlogging. Additionally, it is important to ensure seeds are treated with fungicides before planting and are planted at the correct depth to prevent stem injury. Generally, farmers are required to keep their tools and equipment clean to prevent spreading the diseases.
