Effects of Mulch and Potato Hilling on Development of Foliar Blight (Phytophthora infestans) and the Control of Tuber Blight Infection
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Date
2008Author
Nyankanga, R. O.
Wien, H. C.
Olanya, O. M.
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
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Foliar and tuber blight caused by Phytophthora infestans accounts for
significant losses in potatoes in field and storage. Nevertheless, limited research has
been published on the effects of cultural practices on late blight control. Field
experiments were conducted in two years on Howard gravely loam soil in New York
State to evaluate the effectiveness of mulching using oat straw and hilling in
preventing tuber blight infection for cvs Allegany and Katahdin. Potato hilling and
mulching had little effect on foliar blight development. The cultivar affected the
disease development in the foliage, with cv. Allegany showing lower foliar late blight
than cv. Katahdin. Tuber blight incidence averaged 25% for cv. Allegany and 3% for
cv. Katahdin in hilled plots, while in the mulched plots the incidence of tuber blight
averaged 33% for cv. Allegany and 10% for cv. Katahdin. The straw hay mulch was
ineffective in tuber blight control. Tubers set at a soil depth of more than 7 cm had
lower tuber blight incidence than shallow tubers set at a depth of less than 7 cm. In
both years, hilling provided partial protection of tubers but its effectiveness was
limited in the presence of favourable conditions for late blight development. Even
though large hills had proportionally a lower tuber blight incidence than medium-sized
hills, the difference between the different hill sizes was not significant. These studies suggest that the use of cultivars with foliage resistance to late blight in combination
with cultural practices may partially reduce the incidence of tuber blight.
Citation
Potato Research (2008) 51:101–111Publisher
Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, University of Nairobi
Description
Journal article