Diseases of potatoes: what should I fear?

Potato tubers can be affected by various diseases that are caused by fungi, viruses, bacteria. Diseases of this kind drastically reduce the growth of potatoes, reduce yield and negatively affect the quality of the fetus. Therefore, potato diseases and their types should be known to everyone who plans to grow it and get a good harvest.

Diseases of potato tubers, which cause the greatest concern for gardeners and cause severe damage to the roots, are late blight, black leg, the appearance of ring rot and various viral infections. It is necessary to get acquainted with these pathologies in more detail.

So, late blight (or phytophthora), which is caused by getting a fungus, is a disease that occurs in late July - early August and manifests itself in the form of brown spots on the leaves and stems. When air humidity rises or dew drops out, the rims of the spots are covered with white felt. On the tubers are formed grayish pressed dots, which lead to the fact that the tubers rot completely. This disease is transmitted through the rainwater, when initially infected with the tops, and then the tuber. The first signs of this disease of potatoes are not immediately apparent, but only 14-21 days after infection.

If the lesion is observed mass, before digging the potatoes, it is necessary to spray the tops with copper sulfate (10 g for 5 liters of water). Remember that the affected potatoes can not then be used as seeds, and the soil can be re-planted only after a few years. The further fate of the potato depends on the proper storage. So, the development of potato disease during storage (phytophthora) can occur if the temperature in the storage is about 19 degrees. The most favorable conditions for the preservation of tubers - the temperature is not more than 3 degrees, and the humidity of the air - not more than 80%.

The next common disease is the black leg, which is infected by bacterial infection. The infection occurs already in the mature tuber and is manifested in the yellowed tops, dead roots and easy pulling of the potatoes. If the plant is still infected at an early stage of maturation, it does not have tubers. Outside, the course of the disease does not appear. From the middle, the potatoes rot, then dry up.

Ring rot also applies to bacterial disease of potatoes. It begins to appear after flowering, when the active wilting of the foliage takes place. Then the stems fade. When the potatoes are observed in a section, there are traces of rot on the rings of the vascular bundles. Infection with this disease, as a rule, occurs as a result of mechanical damage caused during harvesting. Later, when infected tubers are planted, the disease is transmitted to the rest of the healthy.

In order to avoid various diseases, it is necessary to dry thoroughly and sort before placing it in the storage place.

One of the most dangerous diseases of potatoes is cancer, which is stored in the soil for up to twenty years after infection. The causative agent of it is the fungus, which is very dangerous precisely on the backyard. Signs of cancer: brown growths on tubers that exceed the size of the potato itself. The problem is that the tuber rots, and the disease infects the soil, the container and the remaining tubers. The main precaution is to identify foci of the disease as early as possible and plant potato varieties that are resistant to cancer. If you correctly alternate cultures, the disease does not occur so often.

All potato diseases, the most serious of which are described above, cause severe damage to the crop and lead to the death of tubers. The task of the horticulturist is to identify the center of the disease in time and carry out preventive measures.