Editing Potato (section)

=== Pests and diseases ===

{{main|List of potato diseases}}

[[File:Phytophtora infestans-effects.jpg|thumb|[[Late blight]] ]]

The historically significant ''[[Phytophthora infestans]]'', the cause of [[late blight]], remains an ongoing problem in Europe<ref name="PlDis2011"/> and the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Organic Management of Late Blight of Potato and Tomato (''Phytophthora infestans'') |url=http://www.extension.org/pages/18361/organic-management-of-late-blight-of-potato-and-tomato-phytophthora-infestans |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702002959/http://www.extension.org/pages/18361/organic-management-of-late-blight-of-potato-and-tomato-phytophthora-infestans |archive-date=2 July 2015 |access-date=6 January 2012 |publisher=[[Michigan State University]]}}</ref> Other potato diseases include ''[[Rhizoctonia]]'', ''[[Sclerotinia]]'', ''[[Pectobacterium carotovorum]]'' (black leg), [[potato powdery mildew |powdery mildew]], [[powdery scab]] and [[Potato leafroll virus |leafroll virus]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Potato, Identifying Diseases |date=15 November 2016 |url=https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/potato-identifying-diseases |publisher=University of Massachusetts Amherst |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Potato Disease Identification |url=https://potatoes.ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/potato-disease-identification |publisher=Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board |access-date=5 May 2024}}</ref>

Insects that commonly transmit potato diseases or damage the plants include the [[Colorado potato beetle]], the [[potato tuber moth]], the green peach aphid (''[[Myzus persicae]]''), the [[potato aphid]], ''[[Tuta absoluta]]'', [[beet leafhopper]]s, [[thrips]], and [[mites]]. The Colorado potato beetle is considered the most important insect defoliator of potatoes, devastating entire crops.<ref name='Alyokhin'>{{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.potatobeetle.org/Alyokhin_CPB_Review_reprint.pdf |author1=Alyokhin, A. |date=2009 |chapter=Colorado potato beetle management on potatoes: current challenges and future prospects |editor1=Tennant, P. |editor2=Benkeblia, N. |title=Potato II. Fruit, Vegetable and Cereal Science and Biotechnology 3 (Special Issue 1) |pages=10–19}}</ref> The [[potato cyst nematode]] is a microscopic worm that feeds on the roots, thus causing the potato plants to wilt. Since its eggs can survive in the soil for several years, [[crop rotation]] is recommended.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potato Cyst Nematode |url=http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/pest-insects-and-mites/potato-cyst-nematode |website=Agriculture Victoria |accessdate=11 December 2019 |archive-date=2 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202063605/http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/pest-insects-and-mites/potato-cyst-nematode |url-status=live }}</ref>