Correct choice of a potato variety and crop protection product(s): a relevant online toolbox for an effective disease control

Late blight is a disease, caused by an oomycete, Phytophthora infestans. This is a growing concern in many regions, growing potatoes. For decades, potato growers widely used conventional strategy to control this crop pathogen using chemical crop protection products that cause a lot of negative consequences related to soil and human health, etc.  In addition, overuse and misuse of agrochemicals are likely to cause resistance to active substances of many commercial products.  As an example, records on the resistant genotype of P. infestans to mandipropamide in a number of countries have recently been reported in the scientific publication (https://bsppjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ppa.13737) and through EuroBlight website (https://agro.au.dk/forskning/internationale-platforme/euroblight/currently/news/nyhed/artikel/results-of-the-euroblight-potato-late-blight-monitoring-in-2022).

As a practical solution to find the relevant information on emerging new cases of resistance, information on cases of resistance to fungicides and other crop protection products has been included into the EPPO Database on resistance cases to many active substances of commercial crop protection products (https://resistance.eppo.int/). These approved records are freely available for all interested stakeholders.   

 While fungicides can effectively control the disease, a pest control strategy that involves the development of genetically resistant varieties is considered a more sustainable approach.

There are some online resources that help to make a correct variety choice.

One of them is the European cultivated potato database, containing the information on agronomic traits of many potato varieties and disease resistance to a number of potato pathogens, including Phytophthora infestans, and abiotic stresses. This database is available via a link (https://www.europotato.org/)

References:

• Abuley, I.K., Lynott, J.S., Hansen, J.G., Cooke, D.E.L. & Lees, A.K. (2023) The EU43 genotype of Phytophthora infestans displays resistance to mandipropamid. Plant Pathology, 72, 1305–1313. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.13737 ;
• Results of the EuroBlight potato late blight monitoring in 2022 (https://agro.au.dk/forskning/internationale-platforme/euroblight/currently/news/nyhed/artikel/results-of-the-euroblight-potato-late-blight-monitoring-in-2022) ;
• the EPPO Database on resistance cases (https://resistance.eppo.int/)