Evaluation of Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans L.) Tolerant Potato Varieties for Northern Bangladesh

The precarious potato disease known as late blight (LB), which is brought on by Phytophthora infestans, quickly decimates crops and economically detriment growers. The pathogen prefers relatively cold temperatures and that usually prevails in northern Bangladesh. To decrease the number of fungicide sprays with the changing climate, it is necessary to identify potato varieties that are most resistant to late blight. This study aims to assess the growth and production performance of late blight-tolerant potato varieties in the northern part of Bangladesh. The field study was conducted in the crop-growing years of 2017–18 and 2018–19. In this study, three exotic potato varieties [(BARI Alu-90 (Alouette), BARI Alu-91 (Carolus), and BARI Alu-77 (Sarpomira)] and two check varieties [BARI Alu‑8 (Cardinal) and BARI Alu-25 (Asterix)] were used. Compared with the two cultivated varieties BARI Alu‑8 (Cardinal) and BARI Alu-25 (Asterix), the BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) with the highest level of late blight resistance based on AUDPC scoring (late blight estimated mean value of 5.9). The result showed that the majority of the evaluated variety BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) and BARI Alu-91 (Carolus) were highly resistant and BARI Alu-77 (Sarpomira) is moderately resistant. In contrast, the check varieties were susceptible to late blight. The yield and shelf life (or storage) quality of BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) was also good compared with the other varieties. Considering the yield, yield contributing characters, shelf-life data and disease resistance level BARI Alu-90 (Alouette) can be grown in northern Bangladesh without chemical protection.