Potato Diseases

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Photo: Joerg Mikus / Rusmediabank.ru

Potato diseases - summer cottage crops are very susceptible to various diseases, however, timely care will help to avoid causing significant damage to your plantings.

Therefore, it should be understood that not only pests are dangerous for potatoes, but also a number of various diseases. Such diseases can be provoked not only by microorganisms, but also by the absence of important elements in the soil itself, which are necessary for the proper growth and development of the plant in the future.

The most common and dangerous fungal disease will be late blight. In particular, this disease develops at low air temperatures, but also at high humidity. If these two indicators coincide, the plant can die in just ten days. The causative agent of this disease is transmitted with tubers and plant debris that are in the soil. It is very easy to notice the infection: dark green spots appear on the lower leaves of the plant. Such spots spread very quickly, then they change color and turn brown, and a white bloom is also noticeable on them.

As for the methods of control, the most effective will be the alternation of sowing potatoes and other vegetable crops. Those tubers that you will plant are recommended to be sprayed with a solution of potassium permanganate, copper sulfate and water. Potassium permanganate can also be replaced with boric acid. Regular inspection of the plant will help avoid the development of the disease in the future, therefore, as soon as the slightest signs of the disease are noticed, the plant and a clod of earth should be dug out. Then it should be burned, and the rest of the soil should be dug very deep.

Another disease will be the so-called brown spot and chloroticity of the leaves. This is caused by a lack of magnesium in the soil itself. The disease is easy to identify at the edges of the sheet, because there the tissue will die off. Under the condition of a large lack of magnesium, the disease can also be noticed between the veins. Of course, feeding with either magnesium sulfate or potassium magnesium is necessary as control methods.

A disease such as ring rot is a harmful microorganism that will infect potato tubers. At the very beginning, pink and brown spots become noticeable, and subsequently they affect the entire tuber. Most often, this disease begins at the end of flowering. The method of struggle will be a very careful selection of tubers, and they should also be processed in the same way as in order to prevent late blight.

There is also such a disease as black leg. This disease becomes noticeable during the growing season and during the storage period of your crop. The stem begins to rot where it is attached to the tuber. Over time, the tuber itself is damaged. The leaves of such an infected plant will turn yellow, an exacerbation of the disease occurs when potatoes are flowering. To prevent the disease, it will be necessary to regularly inspect the plants, the affected tubers are removed, after which this soil is treated with wood ash and copper sulfate.

Dry rot, known as fusarium, is another common disease. The main source of infection will be the soil, pathogens can be stored for a very long time. If there is an increased content of manure or nitrogen fertilization in the soil, then the disease develops much faster. Symptoms become noticeable during the flowering period, then the upper leaves brighten and gradually wilt, while the lower ones will turn brown, rot and eventually become covered with bloom. It should be noted that there are no recommended drugs to combat this disease. Therefore, potatoes should not be planted on infected areas for another three to four years. The bulbs should be carefully examined before planting and only healthy ones should be left, treating them with various bactericidal preparations.

It can be noted that the main method of combating any diseases is attentiveness and careful control over the development of the plant itself.