Agriculture and Farming Atlas

How The World Is Fed
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Pests and Diseases

Late Blight

Fungal Diseases of Crops

An oomycete pathogen (Phytophthora infestans), classed among the plant pathogenic water molds long grouped with fungi in agricultural practice, that causes rapidly spreading dark lesions on potato and tomato leaves, stems and tubers. It caused the Irish potato famine of the 1840s, one of history's most consequential agricultural disasters, and it remains one of the costliest plant diseases in the world, with global management and loss costs estimated at several billion dollars a year.

Facts
Classification
Agent Kind
Fungus 1
Quarantine Status
Quarantine Pest (ISPM 5) 2
Connections

Associated With

Tomato, Crops

Late blight (Phytophthora infestans) attacks tomato as well as potato and caused the Irish famine on the latter.

Caused By Agent Kind

Fungus, Concepts
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Mexico

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Late Blight (Wikipedia)Article text
Quote, Article text
The highlands of central Mexico were considered to be the center of origin of P. infestans, although others have proposed its origin to be in the Andes, which is also the origin of potatoes.
Sources
1. Late Blight (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Opening definition paragraph
    Phytophthora infestans is an oomycete or water mold, a fungus-like microorganism (oomycete) that causes the serious crop disease known as late blight or potato blight. The Early blight caused by Alternaria solani is also often called "potato blight".
  • lead description
    An oomycete pathogen (Phytophthora infestans), classed among the plant pathogenic water molds long grouped with fungi in agricultural practice, that causes rapidly spreading dark lesions on potato and tomato leaves, stems and tubers.
View the Source
2. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO): EPPO Global Database: Phytophthora infestans categorization
European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO)Categorization table
Quote, Categorization table
A1 list 2019
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.