Review On Early Blight (Alternaria spp.) of Potato Disease and its Management Options

This review is to reviewed with an objective of reviewing the economic importance of early blight of potato crop disease and its management options. Potato is the most important vegetable crop in terms of quantities produced and consumed worldwide. It is the fast-growing major crop in the world with important economic impact on many resource-poor farming families. However, its production is currently threatened by a number of biotic and abiotic constraints. Potato early blight disease, caused by two species of genus Alternaria (A.solani and A.alternata), is the major bottleneck in potato production in the world as well as in Ethiopia. Early blight of potato is prevalent worldwide wherever potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are grown. The disease can damage both potato foliage and tubers and can causes yield losses of 5-50%. Early blight is a poly cyclic disease that can cause more than one disease epidemics within a single cropping season. It is difficult to control because of its capacity to produce huge amounts of secondary inoculum. Since the disease is very important in causing economic losses of yields on potato crop, developing and using effective and appropriate management options is unquestionable. Using good cultural practices and applying chemical fungicides are important in reducing as well as managing of early blight disease of potato. Even thought there is no well developed biological control of early blight, it is very important to develop such management strategies. Because biological control measures are specific, efficient and environmentally safe. Keywords: Alternaria; Fungicides; Resource-poor farming families; Secondary Inoculum ;Yield losse. 1