Isolation and Identification of Fungi Associated with Late Blight Diseases of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in Jos South LGA of Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract:

The study is aimed at isolating and identifying the fungi associated with late blight of potatoes in Jos South Local Government Area of plateau State. The infected leaf samples were collected from three different fields in Jos South Local Government Area and transported to the laboratory, the infected leaves were cut into smaller portions using a sterile blade and inoculated on the Potato Dextrose Agar, it was incubated at room temperature for 5 days after which the different colonies obtained were identified using the slide culture technique. The result obtained indicated the presence of 3 different fungal species with their percentage occurrence: Phytophtora sp. (50%), Aspergillus niger (33.3%) and Aspergillus flavus (16.7%), However Phytophtora sp. was the most predominant specie while Aspergillus flavus was the least common. It was concluded that 3 fungal species were found to be responsible for the deterioration of potato plant in the potato fields in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. In order to prevent the fungal infection on the leaves and other parts of the plant, this study recommends the development of suitable cultural, chemical and management practices to improve the quality of potato tuber right from the field.