Potato mildew It is a disease that attacks both the stem and the leaves as well as the tuber and is capable of partially or totally destroying the crop. It has some symptoms to recognize it and solutions to alleviate it.
Do you want to know how to treat mildew on potatoes?
Downy mildew characteristics
When the disease occurs on the leaf, necrotic spots are formed that can be recognized with the naked eye, since they have whitish mold in the areas where the disease advances. The most serious damage occurs when the plant is younger and it is not so protected by the leaves.
The spots are brown in color, similar to the leaves and can affect the entire stem causing it to rot. If the conditions for which the mildew forms are favorable, it will be able to produce more sporangia and germinate, colonizing all the healthier tissue. When this happens, the disease inevitably progresses.
When the spores are washed away, the tubers are also infected, acquiring a more corky texture and a light brown color. If we look at the tuber from the outside, you can see the white mycelium accumulations.
Conditions of fungus formation
The fungus requires temperatures above 10 degrees and humidity greater than 90%. When the temperature rises above 30 degreesits growth stops. Thanks to these conditions, prediction models of the appearance of mildew have been made.
How to avoid mildew
This is a disease that causes more losses worldwide in crops and therefore, it is necessary to have greater control over it. What is currently being done to prevent mildew is combine disease prediction systems with fungicide development capable of eliminating them or minimizing damage.
The fungicides that have the most effects are those that are translaminar and systemic. In this way they can act at different stages of potato cultivation.
