Strategy
for control
Effective management strategy would involve a combination of different methods viz chemical, crop husbandry methods and host resistance etc in an integrated manner so as to reduce both foliar and tuber infection. The chemical method would involve use of both contact and systemic fungicides. As regards contact fungicide Mancozeb is the most common while metalyxl is the most common systemic fungicide.
Cultural practices: Cultural methods aim at eliminating or reducing the initial inoculum load in seed tuber and other sources. Care should be taken to avoid tuber infection by covering the tubers with a thick ridge, minimizing irrigation after the blight has set in and by cutting the infected haulms. The tubers should be harvested after proper skin curing and diseased tubers should be sorted out before storage. Elimination of refuse piles in hills could also help to minimize disease inoculum. It has been estimated that the onset of epidemic can be delayed by 3 to 6 weeks if all primary infection from early potato can be eliminated.