Late Blight is the common designation for Phytophthora, a fungus-like microorganism. Usually associated with potato and tomato crops, it is broadly known for being one of the main reasons for the Irish Potato Famine. This water mold causes serious damage to crops and, if left unattended, can destroy entire plantations. It enjoys moist and cool environments and water-saturated conditions and can spread quickly in fields.
Late blight
Signs of damage
- Spotting. Dark green spots will evolve to brown and then to black on stems and leaves.
- Wilting. Leaves are covered in large sections of brown, wilted foliage.
- White mold. A light layer of white mold with a powdery consistency will appear under the leaves.
- Decaying tubers. Infected tubers quickly decay and turn mushy and foul-smelling.
- Storage decay. Seemingly healthy tubers may decay after storage.
How to prevent
Late Blight is hard to control, but removing infected plants and using preventive fungicides are common practices. Scout plants regularly and remove disease riddle leaves. Keeping plants spaced between them to promote airflow and the leaves dry is also a good way to keep this and other water fungi away. Crop rotation and avoiding planting potatoes or tomatoes always in the same plots of land will help manage diseases.
Suppose you suspect infections, sort tubers and store them in small, separated groups to prevent spreading. Since it's hard to tell infected and healthy tubers apart, storing them together will likely contaminate the whole bin.
Heal
Advanced stages of late Blight are almost impossible to cure, but early stages can be controlled through fungicides. Various fungicides are employed to treat late Blight, such as Dithane MZ for crops that are not mature yet and Acrobat MZ by the end of the season to reduce spores. There are even organic options for potato production, like Copper Hydroxide.
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