Abstract
In organic potato production, late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans can cause severe losses in potato yield and quality. Currently, it can only be effectively controlled by the use of copper fungicides in some countries. In the course of a project aiming at the reduction of copper usage, potential copper-free products against late blight for organic farming were identified. Laboratory, greenhouse, and field tests were performed with a selection of commercial and non-commercial copper-free preparations as potential substitutes for copper. Data from lab tests with detached leaves are now available for more than 20 alternative products, some of which had efficiencies close to that of the copper fungicide control, including some degree of post-infectional effects. Climate chamber tests with whole potted plants confirmed these results for the most promising preparations, with almost no damage occurring on the treated plants. Data from field tests were less compelling but still highlighted some late blight reducing potential for some of the alternative products, in particular chitosan, a liquorice and a horsetail test product, and a copper fertilizer. In the future, these might possibly be used for applications mixed or alternating with copper, and thus might allow a further reduction in the use of copper fungicides in organic potato production.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anonymous (2009) Commission Directive 2009/37/EC of 23 April 2009. Off J Eur Union L104; 23-32
Bangemann LW, Westphal A, Zwerger P, Sieling K, Kage H (2014) Copper reducing strategies for late blight (Phytophthora infestans) control in organic potato (Solanum tuberosum) production. J Plant Dis Prot 121:105–116
Bowers JH, Locke JC (2004) Effect of formulated plant extracts and oils on population density of Phytophthora nicotianae in soil and control of Phytophthora blight in the greenhouse. Plant Dis 88:11–16
Cox AE, Large EC (1960) Potato blight epidemics throughout the world. US Dep Ariculture Handb No 174, 230 pp
Dagostin S, Schärer HJ, Pertot I, Tamm L (2011) Are there alternatives to copper for controlling grapevine downy mildew in organic viticulture? Crop Prot 30:776–788
Dorn B, Musa T, Krebs H, Fried PM, Forrer HR (2007) Control of late blight in organic potato production: evaluation of copper-free preparations under field, growth chamber and laboratory conditions. Eur J Plant Pathol 119:217–240
El Gaouth A, Arul J, Grenier J, Benhamou N, Asselin A, Bélanger R (1994) Effect of chitosan on cucumber plants: suppression of Pythium aphanidermatum and induction of defense reactions. Phytopathology 84:313–320
Elliott M, Shamoun SF, Sumampong G, James D, Masri S, Varga A (2009) Evaluation of several commercial biocontrol products on European and North American populations of Phytophthora ramorum. Biocontrol Sci Techn 19:1007–1021
Falcon-Rodriguez AB, Costales-Menéndez D, Ortega-Delgado E, León-Díaz O, Cabrera-Pino JC, Martínez-Téllez MA (2007) Evaluation of chitosan as an inhibitor of soil-borne pathogens and as an elicitor of defence markers and resistance in tobacco plants. Span J Agr Res 5:533–541
Ghorbani R, Wilcockson S, Leifert C (2005) Alternative treatments for late blight control in organic potato: antagonistic micro-organisms and compost extracts for activity against Phytophthora infestans. Potato Res 48:181–189
Guest D, Grant B (1991) The complex action of phosphonates as antifungal agents. Biol Rev 66:159–187
Hadwiger LA, McBride PO (2006) Low-level copper plus chitosan applications provide protection against late blight of potato. Plant Health Progress. doi:10.1094/PHP-2006-0406-01-RS
Jackson TJ, Burgess T, Colquhoun I, Hardy GESJ (2000) Action of the fungicide phosphite on Eucalyptus marginata inoculated with Phytophthora cinnamomi. Plant Pathol 49:147–154
Kowalski B, Jimenez Terry F, Köppen D, Agramonte Penalver D (2009) Soluble chitosan applied as potato seed tuber treatment and foliar sprays under subtropical and temperate conditions – effect on yield parameters and disease incidence. In: ISTRC (ed) Proceedings of the 15th Triennial ISTRC Symposium, November 2-6, 2009. Lima, 224-233
Kunz S, Hinze M (2014) Assessment of biocontrol agents for their efficacy against apple scab. In: FÖKO e.V. (ed) Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Organic Fruit-Growing. February 17-19, 2014, Hohenheim, Germany. FÖKO e.V., Weinsberg, pp 65–71
Kurzawińska H, Mazur S (2009) The evaluation of Pythium oligandrum and chitosan in control of Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary on potato plants. Folia Hortic 21:13–23
Lobato MC, Olivieri FP, González Altamiranda EA, Wolski EA, Daleo GR, Caldiz DO, Andreu AB (2008) Phosphite compounds reduce disease severity in potato seed tubers and foliage. Eur J Plant Pathol 122:349–358
Nechwatal J, Wagner S, Zellner M (2014) Pflanzenschutz-Rückblick 2014: Süddeutschland. Kartoffelbau 65(12):8–13
O’Herlihy EA, Duffy EM, Cassells AC (2003) The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and chitosan sprays on yield and late blight resistance in potato crops from microplants. Folia Geobot 38:201–207
Olanya OM, Larkin RP (2006) Efficacy of essential oils and biopesticides on Phytophthora infestans suppression in laboratory and growth chamber studies. Biocontrol Sci Techn 16:901–917
Portz D, Koch E, Slusarenko AJ (2008) Effects of garlic (Allium sativum) juice containing allicin on Phytophthora infestans and downy mildew of cucumber caused by Pseudoperonospora cubensis. Eur J Plant Pathol 122:197–206
Sharma K, Bruns C, Butz AF, Finckh MR (2012) Effects of fertilizers and plant strengtheners on the susceptibility of tomatoes to single and mixed isolates of Phytophthora infestans. Eur J Plant Pathol 133:739–751
Speiser B, Berner A, Häseli A, Tamm L (2000) Control of downy mildew of grapevine with potassium phosphonate: effectivity and phosphonate residues in wine. Biol Agric Hortic 17:305–312
Stephan D, Schmitt A, Martins Carvalho S, Seddon B (2005) Evaluation of biocontrol preparations and plant extracts for the control of Phytophthora infestans on potato leaves. Eur J Plant Pathol 112:235–246
Su H, Blair R, Johnson T, Marrone P (2012) REGALIA® Bioprotectant in plant disease management. Outlooks Pest Manag 23:30–34
Wharton PS, Kirk WW, Schafer RL, Tumbalam P (2012) Evaluation of biological seed treatments in combination with management practices for the control of seed-borne late blight in potato. Biol Control 63:326–332
Zellner M, Keil S, Benker M (2011) Latent infection rate of potato seed tubers with Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary—an underestimated problem. J Cultiv Plants 63:13–16
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the German Federal Office of Agriculture and Food within the Federal Programme for Organic and Sustainable Farming (grant no. 2809OE045). We also thank Johann Hofbauer, Ute Jaedtke, Adél Varga, Steffen Wagner, and Bernhard Weber for technical assistance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nechwatal, J., Zellner, M. Potential suitability of various leaf treatment products as copper substitutes for the control of late blight (Phytophthora infestans) in organic potato farming. Potato Res. 58, 261–276 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-015-9302-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-015-9302-8