Innovative Technique Simplifies and Reduces Cost of Potato Blight Control

Maria Luiza De Grandi, journalist, Ciência Rural, Santa Maria RS, Brazil.

Jackson Kawakami, professor, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste (UNICENTRO), Guarapuava, PR, Brazil.

One of the most recurrent diseases in potato crops is late blight, which can affect all parts of the plant as well as seedlings right after emergence, causing brown lesions that gradually spread across all tissues. Late blight occurs due to the action of the oomycete Phytophthora infestans.

To develop a simple, fast, and accessible technique for the in vitro isolation of Phytophthora infestans, researchers from Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste (UNICENTRO) presented a method for isolating and propagating this oomycete species. The article Simple, fast, and low-cost technique for the isolation and multiplication of Phytophthora infestans was published in Ciência Rural (vol. 54, no. 11, 2024).

To isolate this phytopathogenic oomycete, the researchers began with naturally infected potato leaves, which were sanitized for 30 minutes under running water. The study provides a step-by-step guide to all the necessary stages to isolate and multiply P. infestans in vitro.

The developed technique stands out for its simplicity and low cost, enabling researchers from different academic and financial contexts to easily reproduce it. “Since many studies involving this pathogen depend on initial isolation, the dissemination of this technique can benefit a wide community of researchers,” explains researcher Jackson Kawakami.

Imagem: Pixabay

The initial goal of the research was to test alternative products for managing late blight, but difficulties encountered in isolating P. infestans redirected the focus toward solving this issue.

With the achieved success, the researchers decided to share the developed technique to help other researchers who may face similar problems. “Although the technique itself is not new, its presentation in a widely accessible, free, and well-illustrated format is innovative. The article fills a gap by facilitating access to this information for the scientific community,” adds Kawakami.

To read the article, access

ANDRADE, R.M. A simple, fast and cheap isolation and multiplication technique of Phytophthora infestans. Ciência Rural [online]. 2024, vol. 54, no. 11, e20230603 [viewed 20 February 2025]. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20230603. Available from: https://www.scielo.br/j/cr/a/NhkhwjKVHGjxyWMr34hq7xw/

External links

Ciência Rural – CR

Ciência Rural – Site

Ciência Rural – Social Media: X | Facebook | Instagram