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 TUBER
BLIGHT
Alternaria
solani, fungus; foliar = early blight or target spot
Infection:
Tubers
get infected by early blight only be direct contact with spores
during harvest (lifting). Early blight will spread in storage.
Symptoms:
The
skin surface has brownish-black, circular or oblong patches that
are slightly sunken. The patches are well demarcated by a raised
margin separating it from healthy skin. Cutting through a lesion
(patch or spot), a shallow, dry, brown rot will appear. The rot
is sharply delineated from healthy tissue by a corky margin. In
advanced stages, it can become watery and the tuber shrivels up.
Secondary infections are not a factor as with late blight.
Control
Practices:
ontrol
foliar development of early blight. Harvest after complete vine
kill and allow for skin set. Keeping tubers cool will halt decay
and keeping them aerated will inhibit spread in storage
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