The causes of curling leaves in potatoes, methods of treatment and control

Twisting potato leaves is a problem that needs to be noticed and neutralized in time, otherwise you can lose the crop. Let's look at the main reasons why this can happen.

Description of leaf curl

Leaf curl is often just one sign of a problem. It is usually accompanied by other symptoms of the disease or damage. What could be the reasons for changing the shape of the sheet?

The most common are diseases and injuries by herbicides. However, the leaves can also curl due to many other problems. In this article, we will consider each of them in detail.

Disease

Potatoes can undergo many diseases, and leaf curl is just one of their symptoms. We will study the possible diseases in more detail in order to save the landings on time.

Viral diseases

Major viral diseases are called potato mosaics. There are several varieties of mosaics, and often one site is infected with several of its species at once.

Wrinkled mosaic

In this disease, wrinkles, swelling and yellow spots appear between the leaf veins. Then the sheet begins to curl and bend, and then sags without falling off. The diseased plant does not bloom, has a stunted tops, dies prematurely, and the tubers remain small. Crop loss with a wrinkled mosaic can be up to 90%.

Affected bushes should be immediately removed from the site and burned. The best control method is comprehensive prevention, which includes choosing a healthy and sustainable planting material, weeding weeds, germination before planting.

Striped mosaic

Signs of the disease: the appearance of dark spots on the leaves, their twisting, dark stripes on the veins of the leaf. All this appears first on the lower tiers, and then goes on to the middle and upper. The leaves dry and die, only a couple of branches remain on top of the bush. Tubers do not develop, productivity is greatly reduced.

You need to deal with this problem in the same way as with a wrinkled mosaic.

Fungal diseases

Often, planting becomes ill due to infection with a fungus.

Late blight

If the leaves began to curl and brown spots appeared on them, gradually turning to the stem - perhaps this is late blight. The main symptom of the disease is a white coating on the underside of the leaves, which the spores of the fungus create. The tubers are covered with dense spots. The fungus that causes the disease spreads very quickly to neighboring bushes.

Late blight is very difficult to get rid of: all affected bushes need to be removed, and the rest require chemical treatment. For this, Oksikh and Ridomil MC funds are suitable. They accumulate in potatoes, so it is better to use disease prevention methods. These are potash and phosphorus fertilizers, wood ash, garlic infusion for spraying plantings, and hilling. It is also important not to plant bushes close to each other, observe crop rotation and plant solanaceous crops separately from each other.

Scab

The peel of healthy potato tubers is smooth and thin. If some of its sections darkened, became thicker and firmer, and the whole fruit began to crack and disperse in scabs - the potato is sick with a dangerous scab. Sometimes the whole diseased tuber is covered with dense scab spots. The pulp of the potato begins to rot.Brown spots appear on the stem, and the leaves curl, darken and dry out.

You may be interested in:

When, how much and how to water potatoes properly: tips and rulesPotato ripening period from planting to harvest: ripening stagesSimple conditions for winter storage of potatoes on the balcony

Scab is a common disease, although many gardeners do not even pay attention to infected tubers. Due to the disease, you can lose up to 40% of the crop, so you need to take action on time.

Crop rotation and formalin dressing are the best methods for controlling the disease. Phosphate fertilizers and tomosclack, mixing sulfur in the soil and careful selection of seeds will also help.

Herbicide damage

Leaves may curl due to herbicide preparations that many gardeners use to control weeds. The problem can begin, even if not you, but your neighbors use such means - harmful components can be carried by wind from neighboring sites.

To avoid problems, you need to choose potato varieties that are resistant to herbicides. If the variety is sensitive, then it is better to refuse processing. The varieties Sayte and Yavar are especially susceptible to these agents.

Mosaic leaf curl

The cause of this problem is the attack of aphids or field bugs. The disease is a type of mosaic.

During the appearance of buds, the edges of the leaves of the upper tier become wavy and rise. The top of the bush becomes like a spoon or flower bud. Usually, by the end of the growing season, the leaves are straightened, but the fruit is already damaged. Tubers lose a large amount of starch, lose their taste and remain small. Sometimes losses make up to 40% of the crop.

You need to deal with the disease in the same way as with other mosaics - quality prevention.

Why do potato leaves curl

Remember that potato leaves always curl for a reason. Do not leave boarding unattended. Normal leaves should be uniform green, without spots, even and in no case twisted.

So, the main causes of twisting: fungal and viral diseases, herbicides. Sometimes leaves change shape due to adverse external conditions: lack of moisture, heat or cold, lack of nutrients. But if the climate, humidity and amount of fertilizer are normal - most likely, the cause of twisting in the disease.

How to prevent twisting

In order to protect the crop from the main problems that cause leaf curl, prevention is necessary.

1. Choose strong varieties that are immune to diseases and pests.
2. Carefully inspect planting material for illness and damage. Remember that it is better to plant the whole tubers without cutting them.
3. At the first suspicion, remove all infected bushes from the site.
4. Fertilize, moisten and loosen the ground in time, provide proper planting care.
5. If you are affected, use chemicals to combat a specific problem.
6. Also treat potatoes with protective preparations before planting and periodically after it. Choose them correctly: for example, if in your area potatoes are often sick with scab, then choose prophylactic drugs from it.

Reviews

Gardeners are actively discussing the problem of twisting. Let's find out what they post on the forums.

Anastasia writes:

“Many factors can affect. If the leaves are curled - maybe the viruses, the fungus, or the herbicides were improperly processed. Or maybe there is simply not enough nutrients. It’s best to call specialists, they’ll figure it out. ”

Victor writes:

“My leaves were curled, but in the fall I dug it up and sold it anyway. Saved by digging a few bushes and examined them thoroughly. The roots and stems were normal, and the previous year there was a good harvest. I realized that it was because of the herbicides, I stopped processing them, everything went.Only now I’m manually driving weeds, albeit hard ... ”