Management of early blight of potato caused by Alternaria solani through fungicides under in vitro conditions

Abstract

Potato (S olanum tuberosum L.) is most frequently cultivated solanaceous crop worldwide. Early blight disease, caused by four types of Alternaria fungi, is a major threat to potato yield. The primary pathogen is Alternaria solani, which damages the leaf, stem, and potatoes, costing billions of dollars annually for management. The current study aimed to screening of potato lines, and their effective management. A screening methodology was used to assess the resistance of different potato cultivars against early blight caused by A. solani. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, with a selection of 4-5 potato cultivars chosen for the screening process. Disease severity evaluations were conducted at predetermined intervals, starting from the appearance of early blight symptoms. The results indicated that all fungicides had significant effects on the number of spots/plant, plant height, plant weight, and no. of tubers. The application of different types of fungicides, such as Boscalid, Azoxystobin+Flutriafol, Tebuconazol, and Tebuconazole+Flutriafol, significantly reduced the effect of A. solani on potato. The most effective fungicide is the combinantion of Azoxystrobin+Flutriafol that exhibited the significant efficacy compared to all the other fungicides.