Potato Leafroll Virus
Potato Leafroll Virus (PLRV) is the most important potato virus and occurs common in all groung potatoes countries. Potatoes yield losses in highly susceptible cultivars can reach 90%.
Symptoms of disease caused by Potato Leafroll Virus
Primary symptoms caused by currentseason aphid-transmitted infection are rolling of upper potato plants leaves, especially of leaflet bases. These leaves tend to be upright and are generally pale yellow.
With many cultivars, they are tinged purple, pink, or red. Late infections may not cause symptoms, whereas some cultivars are infected symptomlessly.
Potato tubers of highly sensitive cultivars develop net necrosis in the flesh. Secondary symptoms (of plants grown from infected tubers of subspecies tuberosum) are rolling of basal leaves, stunting, upright growth, and paleness of upper leaves.
Rolled leaves are stiff and leathery, and sometimes tinged purple on their undersides.
Subspecies andigena reacts differently: it develops marginal and interveinal chlorosis, especially of upper leaves, marked upright growth, and often severe stunting.
Rolling of lower leaves is usually lacking. Natural transmission is by aphids in a persistent manner, and through infected tubers.
Management
Potato Leafroll Virus can be managing by selecting healthy plants gor growing and eliminating diseased plants through roguing in seed propagation.
Systemic insecticides will decrease spread by aphids within the crop but will not prevent infection by viruliferous aphids from other fields.
Potato Leafroll Virus is the only potato virus known to be eliminated from tubers by heat treatment.
Resistant potatoes cultivars have been developed recently.
Standard Greenhouse Drip Irrigation Kit
