Introduction

The potato, which originated in South America, is today grown all over the world. It is a member of the nightshade family, Solanaceae, and is the world’s most significant food crop. Potatoes are high in vitamins and minerals. According to the 2018 data, potato production was 368 million tonnes. Raw potatoes contain a lot of water and starch. Seed potatoes and tubers are used to grow potatoes. Potatoes are used in a variety of cuisines, chips, and for industrial purposes such as the manufacturing of starch and alcohol.

Varieties

Kufri Ashoka, Kufri Chandramukhi, Kufri Jawahar, Kufri Khyati, Kufri Pukhraj, Kufri Anand, Kufri Arun, Kufri Badshah, Kufri Chipsona-1, Kufri Chipsona-2, Kufri Chipsona-3, Kufri Pushkar, Kufri Sadabahar, Kufri Sutlej, Kufri Surya, Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Garima, Kufri Gaurav

Soil Requirement

The land is ploughed at a depth of 24-25 cm and exposed to the sun. The soil should have a higher pore space and offer the least resistance to tuber development. Well decomposed FYM (25-30 t/ha) is mixed with the soil during the last ploughing.

Fertilizer doses 

A fertilizer dose of 180-240 kg N, 60-90 kg P2 O5 and 85- 25 130 K2O per hectare is recommended for alluvial soils of Indo Gangetic plains. In the hill zone, the 2 application of 100-150 kg N, 100-150 kg P2 O5 and 50-100 kg K2O per hectare is recommended. In black soils of plateau areas about 120-150 kg N, 50 kg each of P2 O5 & K2O is recommended. In the acidic soils of the southern plateau 120kg N, 115 kg P2 O5 , and 120 K2O kg per hectare are recommended for potato production.

Disease of Potato

1.Black heart 

Symptoms: Blackening of the tuber center. The tissue dies from the inside out and turns jet black. Affected tubers rot later. Diseased plants germinate badly & produce weak plants.

Management Practices: Avoid badly drained soils. Avoid over-irrigation. Maintain air circulation.

Avoid storing tuber in tightly closed places. Avoid harvesting in temp. around 30°C & around 0°C. Black heart infected tubers should not be used as seeds.

Maintain cold storage at 4°C or slightly higher

2.Bacterial wilt: Ralstonia solanacearum

Symptoms: Slight wilting of leaves on a top branch during clear sunny days. Drooping newer leaves due to loss of turgidity. Vascular tissues of the tuber show water-soaked brown circles. Pitted lesions on the surface of the tuber.

Management Practices: Seed treatment: Soak potato seed tubers with Streptomycin Sulphate 90% + Tetracylin Hydrocloride 10% SP @ 4gm/10 litre water for 30 minutes.

Foliar spray: 2-3 sprays of Streptomycin Sulphate 90%+Tetracylin Hydrocloride 10% SP @ 4-5 ml/10 litre water at an interval of 20 days. First spray 30 days after planting.

3.Late blight: Phytophthora infestans

Symptoms: Leaves: Blackish water-soaked lesions occur on leaves & whitish fungal growth is seen around the margin of the lesions on the underside of the leaf. Stem: Light brown elongated lesions which encircle the stem

Management Practices:

Seed treatment: Carbendazim 25% + Mancozeb 50% WS @ 0.6-0.7 gm/kg of seed

Foliar Spray:

Captan 50% WG @ 1500gm/ha in 500 litre water. (600gm/acre for 200 litre water)

Captan 50% WP @ 2500 gm/ha in 750-1000 liter of water. (1000 gm/acre for 300-400 litre water)

Captan 70% + Hexaconazole 5% WP @ 500-1000 gm/ha in 500 liter of water. (200-400 gm/acre for 200 liter of water)

Captan 75% WP @ 1667gm/ha in 1000 litre of water. (666.8 gm/acre for 400 liter of water)

Carbendazim 12% + Mancozeb 63% WP @ 1750 g/ha in 500 liter of water. (700 gm/acre for 200 liter of water)

Copper hydroxide 53.8% DF @ 1500 in 500 liter of water . (600 gm/acre in 200 liter of water)

Cyazafomid 34.5% SC @ 200 ml/ha in 500 liter of water. (80ml/acre in 200 liter of water)

Fenamidone 10% + Mancozeb 50% WG @ 1250-1500 gm/ha in 500 liter of water. (500-600 gm/acre in 200 liter of water

Propineb 70% WP @ 3 gm/ liter of water

4.Early blight: Alternaria solani

Symptoms: Leaves: Small, circular to oval, brown to black spots with concentric rings on older leaves, which coalesce into larger and angular at a later stage. In heavy infestation, leaves fall off after drying. Tuber: Circular or irregular dark & sunken lesions on surface. Stem: Elongated, brown to black lesions develop on stems.

Management Practices. Foliar Spray:

Captan 50% WG @ 1500 gm/ha in 500 litre water. (600gm/acre for 200 litre water)

Chlorothalonil 75% WP @ 0.875-1.25kg/ha.

Copper Oxychloride 50% WP @ @ 2.5 kg/ha in 750- 1000 litre water. (1kg/acre for 300-400 litre water).

Hexaconazole 2% SC @ 3 litre/ha in 500 litre water. (1.2L/acre for 200 litre water)

Kitazin 48% EC @ 0.20% 

Kresoxim-methyl 44.3%SC @ 500ml/ha in 500 litre water. (200ml/acre for 200 litre water)

Mancozeb 75%WP @ 1.5-2 kg/ha in 750 litre water (600- 800 gm/acre for 300 litre water)

Propineb70%WP @ 0.30%. 

Zineb 75% WP @ 1.5-2 Kg/ha for 750-1000 litre water. (600-800 gm/acre for 300-400 litre water)

Ziram 80% WP @ 1.5-2 Kg/ha for 750-1000 litre water. (600-800 gm/acre for 300-400 litre water)

5.Common scab: Streptomyces scabies

Symptoms: Initial superficial reddish-brown spots on the tuber surface. Later lesions expand, becoming corky and necrotic. Potato skins are covered with rough black welts. Cork-like lesions on the young developing tuber. Rough & cracked skin.

Management Practices: Use certified seed only. Crop rotation. Maintain soil at a low pH below 5.2.Irrigate dry or sandy soils for six weeks after tuber initiation.

Thiram 75% WS @ 25-30gm/ litre water

6.Wart: Synchytrium endobioticum

Symptoms: Tumors on stems, stolons, and tubers. Under wet conditions brownish to green color tumors appear on stems & foliage. Tumors blacken with age.

Management Practices: Use resistant varieties. Long crop rotations (5 years or more). Burning of wart affected lumps.

7.Black scurf: Rhizoctonia solani

Symptoms: Slightly sunken brown spots of variable size on stolons & stems at or below the soil line. Aerial tuber formation. Plant wilt, and death.  Hard, dark brown or black sclerotia on the tuber surface. White mycelial mat on stem base.

Management Practices Seed treatment:

Seed treat with Carbendazim 25%+ Mancozeb 50% WS @ 6-7gm/kg seed.

Seed treatment with Carboxin 37.5%+ Thiram 37.5%DS@ 2.5 gm/kg seed.

Thiophanate Methyl 450g/l + Pyraclostrobin 50g/l w/v FS @ 20gm/kg seed coating. 

Tuber treatment:

Potato tuber seed dip in Penflufen 22.43% FS @ 0.83ml/ litre of water for 10 minutes.

Thifluzamide 24% SC @ 2.5ml/10 kg potato tuber .

Potato tubers to be dipped in Pencycuron 22.9% SC @ 0.25-0.50 ml/liter of water.

Foliar spray:

Carbendazim 12% + Mancozeb 63% WP @ 1750 gm/ha for 500 liter of water. (700 gm/acre in 700 liter of water)

8.Viral disease: Potato virus X, S, & Y

Symptoms: Potato virus Y (PVY) Potyvirus: stipple streak, mild foliage symptoms, but necrosis in the leaves of susceptible varieties. Potato virus S (PVS) Carlavirus: slight deepening of the veins, rough leaves, more open growth, mild mottling, bronzing, or tiny necrotic spots on the leaves. Potato virus X (PVX) Potyvirus: Chlorosis, mosaic, decreased leaf size & necrotic lesions in tubers.

Conducive Weather: Plant disease-free seed potatoes. Control of the insect vector

Pest of Potato

1.Aphid: Myzus persicae

Nature of damage: Aphids damage plants by puncturing them and sucking their juices. They damage the young and soft parts of plants, such as new leaves and shoots. Signs of damage are leaves not opening properly and being smaller in size. Severe infestation can cause shoots.

Management Practices: Soil application: Crabofuran 3% CG@16600gm/ha. Phorate 10% CG@ 33300gm/ha.

Foliar spray: Thiamethoxam  25% WG@100ml/ha in 500 lit of water (40ml/acre in 2000 lit of water or Oxydemeton–methyl 25% EC@ 1000ml/ha in 500-1000 lit of water (400ml/acre 200-400 lit of water). Dimethoate 30% EC@ 660ml/ha in 500-1000 lit of water (264ml-acre 200-400 lit of water).

2.Leaf hopper: Empoasca kerri

Nature of damage: Both nymphs and adults of Jassids suck plant sap as a result of their severe attack, the leaves curl; turn pale, bronze, and dry up.

Management Practices: Soil application: Phorate 10G @33kg/ha (13kg/acre)

3.White grub: Holotrichia sp.

Nature of damage: The grubs initially feed on rootlets/roots and then on tubers. The first stage grubs feed on live roots while the second and third instar grubs make large, shallow and circular holes in the tuber. Tubers damaged by white grubs have irregular holes. More than two holes are often found in one tuber.

Management Practices: Summer ploughing to expose pupae. Set up light trap @1/ha between 7 PM and 9 PM.Handpick adult beetles in the morning. Handpick the older larvae during the early stages of the crop. Collect and destroy crop debris. Collect and destroy eggs and early-stage larvae

Judicious use of fertilizers. Provide irrigation at critical stages of the crop. Avoid waterlogging. Avoid any stress on the crop as much as possible.

4.Cutworm:Agrotis ipsilon

Nature of damage: Young larvae feed on the epidermis of the leaves. Older larvae come out at night and feed young plants by cutting their stems. They also damage the tubers by eating away part of them.

Management Practices: Flood the infested fields. Handpick and destroy the larvae in morning and evening hours on cracks and crevices in the field. Plough the soil during summer months to expose larvae and pupae to avian predators. Set up light trap @1/ha. Pheromone traps @12/ha to attract male moths.

5.Potato tuber moth : Phthorimaea operculella

Nature of damage: Potato tuber moths affect both tubers and foliage. Larvae eat their way inside tubers either in the field or the storage area. Severe infestation generally occurs in storage causing irregular galleries and ‘tunnels’ deep inside the tube. Larval feces can be seen near boreholes. On foliage, larvae attack the stems and leaves of potato plants. They enter leaves, eat the inside and leave only a dried-up outer skin.

Management Practices

Select healthy tubers. Avoid shallow planting of tubers. Plant the tubers to a depth at 10 – 15 cm deep. Install pheromone traps at 15/ha. Collect and destroy all the infested tubers from the field. Do not leave the harvested tubers in the field overnight. Adopt intercropping with chilies, onion or peas. Do earthing up at 60 days after planting to avoid female moths laying eggs on the exposed tubers. Cover the upper surface of potato tubers with the branches of Lantana and Eupatorium  to repel the ovipositing moth in the godown. Grow intercrops such as cowpea, onion, maize, coriander, urdbean in 1:2 ratio. Rotate the potato crop with a non host cereal, cucurbit, or cruciferous vegetable crop. Grow repellent plants such as ocimum/basil.  Use healthy seed, hot and cold weather cultivation, green manuring, irrigation, fertilizer application, storage and adoption of seed plot technique.

The fields should be ridged after 6 to 7 weeks of planting so that the tubers are buried at least 25cm below the soil surface.

Timely and adequate irrigation minimizes soil cracking and thereby reduces the risk of tuber exposure to potato tuber moth attack or their egg-laying Always keep the tubers underneath the soil surface