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Phytophthora infestans (Late potato blight, Potato late blight) (Life; Eukaryotes;
stramenopiles; Oomycetes; Pythiales)
This fungal-like organism was responsible for the Irish
Potato Famine in the 1840's that resulted in about one million deaths and the
emigration of about 1.5 million people to other parts of the World, particularly
the US.
Phytophthora infestans belongs to the taxon Oomycetes which includes the downy mildews and the water molds. The
Oomycetes used to be placed in the Fungi but
are now placed outside this group. Late Potato Blight was the cause of the Irish
Potato Famine in the 1840's which resulted in about one million deaths and the
emigration of about 1.5 million people to other parts of the World, particularly
the U.S. There are now cultivars of potatoes that are resistant to most strains
of P. infestans and there are fungicides that can be used to combat this
organism. However, P. infestans is still a problem in certain parts of
the world where people cannot afford the fungicides and where it has been able
to overcome the resistant potato varieties. For instance, in Russia (the world's
second-largest potato producer after China), Late Potato Blight destroyed more
than 15% of the country's total year 2000 crop. Worldwide, annual losses and
fungicide costs amount to about US $3 billion.
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