Relationship Between Incidence of Late Blight Tuber Rot, Foliage Blight Control and the Effect of Weather and Soil Variables

Abstract

The relationship of late blight disease, tuber blight and the effects of weather and soil variables were determined at 2 distinct environments of New York and Kenya during 1999 to 2001. In well replicated field experiments at the two sites where A2 (US8 clone) and A1 (US1 clone) respectively are dominant, foliar and tuber blight development, climatic and soil variables were quantified during three cropping seasons. Variation in tuber blight in New York and Kenya was detected. Stepwise multiple regression and correlation analysis identified combinations of variables associated with tuber blight such as cultivar characteristics, soil temperature and precipitation events. The research results can provide insight into the dynamics of tuber blight infection processes and be useful for tuber blight management strategies.