EFFICACY OF FUNGICIDE PROGRAMMMES TO CONTROL POTATO LATE BLIGHT (PHYTOPHTHORA INFESTANS) IN ROMANIA

Late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary remains the greatest potential disease in the Romanian potato crop. Late blight can destroy foliage prematurely and in a very short time, reducing production, while the tuber infections associated with rots can cause important crop losses during storage. There are years when the disease is epidemic, causing great loss of production and have a negative effect on the quality of tubers, making more difficult the processing and the storage. The current European legislation requires from member states to promote a policy of disease control using less chemicals in an integrated plant protection management.