Earlier occurrence and increased explanatory power of climate for the first incidence of potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans in Fennoscandia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Late blight (caused by Phytophthora infestans) is a devastating potato disease that has been found to occur earlier in the season over the last decades in Fennoscandia. Up until now the reasons for this change have not been investigated. Possible explanations for this change are climate alterations, changes in potato production or changes in pathogen biology, such as increased fitness or changes in gene flow within P. infestans populations. The first incidence of late blight is of high economic importance since fungicidal applications should be typically applied two weeks before the first signs of late blight and are repeated on average once a week.

Methods

We use field observations of first incidence of late blight in experimental potato fields from five sites in

SUBMITTER: Lehsten V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5448744 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature