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1. Late blight occurrence and LB severity by major production area in the country. What crops were affected (tomato, potato, others)? Disease sources (seed, cull piles, volunteer plants, soil)?

Late blight has occasionally been a serious problem in the potato growing area in Serbia. The late blight epidemic of 1999 was very devastating (Milošević et al., 1999). In recent years, new genotypes of P. infestans are being detected from fields in countries from which a large quantity of potato seed has been imported to Serbia for its own potato production, in particular from Holland (Frinking et al., 1987), Germany (Schöber & Rullich, 1986) and Hungary (Bakony & Ersek, 1997). These reports suggested the possibility that the A2 mating type and new genotypes might now also occur in Serbia. In 2001-2004 one study was conducted to monitor and characterise the currently appearing populations of P. infestans from commercial potato crops from Serbia.

1999: Late blight infection was very, very hight in the potato and tomato fields. First symptoms

          appeared in 15. May. 2000 : The occurrence of LB was low.

2001: The occurrence of LB was moderate

2002: The occurrence of LB was low untill July, and moderate from beginning of August.

2003: The occurrence of LB was low.

2004: The occurrence of LB was moderate. In some parts of Serbia first symptoms appeared in 10. June.

Disease sources: cull piles, volunteer plants and seed tuber.

 2. LB impact (foliar damage, yield losses, tuber rot occurrences)?

           In case of eary appearance of late blight crops had to be burnt early. A considerable number of  growers reported problems with tuber blight in storage.

 3. Fungicide use (amounts, types, etc.)?

In Serbia first spray usually was carried out when the plant caopise cover the row. At the market there are a lot of fungicides for control of late blight. 5-7 spray were carried out on potato and tomato to control the disease. The main strategy consists of two-three treatments with (locally) systemic fungicides (metalaxyl, propamocarb, dimethomorph) followed by two-three treatments with a contact fungicide (mancozeb, fluazinam, metiram, cuper).

4. Other LB control measures (resistant cultivars, forecast systems, none)?

Dominant cultivated potato varieties (Desiree /about 70%/, Kondor, Jaerla, Morene, Kleopatra, Amorosa, Adora, Kennebec) are suscetibly to late blight.

In Serbia don’t have forecst systems.

5. LB control effectiveness (fungicide or host resistance failures)?

We don’t have reliable data about these failures. 

6. Pathogen strains (mating type, fungicide resistance, virulence factors, etc)?  

            In 2000 the total of 37 isolates of P. infestans were surveyed, collected from 11 commercial potato fields in different regions of the central part of Serbia representing random samplings from a single lesion of a leaf.

            Of the 37 isolates tested, 28 belonged to the A2 mating type, eight isolates were A1 and only one isolate was A1/A2 (self-fertile). In two potato fields only the A1 mating type, in other nine potato fields only the A2 mating types were found and in a separate field the self-fertile A1/A2 isolate was sampled.

Response to metalaxyl was determined for all isolates in vitro on Rye A agar amended with 5 and 100 ppm metalaxyl. One of the A2 isolates had intermediate resistance and 36 isolates, including the A2 isolates, showed sensitivity to the fungicide. All A1 isolates were metalaxyl sensitive and 28 A2 isolates were also sensitive. The ratio of sensitive, intermediate and resistant isolates was 36:1:0.

Metalaxyl was initially introduced as a single ingredient product into some countries, such as Serbia and the former Yugoslavia. However, because of the resistance development against this systemic fungicide it was thereafter marketed for late blight control only in a mixture with the dithiocarbamate fungicide mancozeb and zineb and also by containing copper. According to the results of this study, it seems that the isolates surveyed in Serbia could yet still be controlled by metalaxyl, since the fungicide resistance level found is low.

            Some P. infestans isolates were evaluated for physiological races on detached leaflets of a differential potato genotypes carrying eleven major resistance genes R1 - R11.  12 races were found among 26 isolates recovered from Serbia potao crops. The most common races was 1.4.5.7.10.11

            All  isolates from Serbia were found to belong Ia type of mitochondrial DNA. 

7. Disease risks and/or major needs?

Major needs:

·         Characterization a larger number of isolates occurring on both potato and tomato fields.

·         Investigations for the occurrence of sexual reproduction of the pathogen.

·         Development of LB forecast system and control methods.

·         Investigations for the occurrence of fungicide resistance under natural conditions. 

8. Any publications on late blight in the country?  

Prpic, Z. (1967): Prilog poznavanju dominnatnih biotipova (rasa) Phytophthora infestans na krumpiru. Zastita bilja 18: 101-114. (in Serbian with English summary)

2.      Aleksic, D., Aleksic, Z. (1970): Plamenjaca paradajza (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary) u klimatskim uslovima Sumadije i gornjeg Pomoravlja. Zbornik radova Instituta za povrtarstvo, Smed. Palanka. (in Serbian with English summary)

Milosevic, D., Suljagic, V., Cakarevic, V. (1999): Problemi u zastiti krompira od bolesti, stetocina i korova. Cetvrto jugoslovensko savetovanje o zastiti bilja. Zbornik rezimea, 20-21. (in Serbian)

Ivanovic Miroslav, Ivanovic Mirko (2000): Moguci uzroci epifitotične pojave plamenjace krompira i paradajza u Jugoslaviji u 1999. godini. Biljni lekar, 2-3: 143-149. (in Serbian)

Ivanovic Miroslav, Ivanovic Mirko (2001): Promene u strukturi populacije Phytophthora infestans u svetu i njene osnovne karakteristike. Biljni lekar, 2: 138-147. (in Serbian)

Ivanovic, Miroslav, Niepold, F., Ivanović, Mirko. (2003):  Survey of Phytophthora infestas populations in Serbia: mating type, metalaxyl resistance and virulence properties. Potato Research, 46. (in press)

Zdravkovic, J., Mijatovic, M., Ivanovic, M., Markovic, Z., Zdravkovic, M. (2004): Breeding of tomato hybrids for resistance to late blight causal agent (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) deBary). European society for new methods in agricultural research, XXXIV annual meeting, 29.08.-2.09. 2004, Novi Sad, Serbia. Proceedings, 305-308.

Ivanovic, Miroslav, Niepold, F., Ivanovic, Mirko, Mijatovic, M., Zecevic, B. (2004): Occurrence of nev populations and mating types of Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary in Serbia. Acta Hort. (in press)

Mijatovic, M., Ivanovic, M., Zdravkovic, J., Markovic Z. (2004): Reaction of some tomato varietes and hybrids to late blight (Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary). Acta Hort. (in press)

9. Is tuber blight an increasing problem?

Occassionally.

Prepared by Dr. Miroslav Ivanovic, Centre for Vegetable Crops, Karadjrodjeva 71, Smed. Palanka 11420, SERBIA, e-mail: mivanovic(at)cvcsp.co.yu