1All India Coordinated Potato Improvement Project (AICPIP), Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, 171 001, (H.P.).
2Potato Research Station, GAU, Deesa, 385 535, Gujarat.
3Agril. Research Station, RAU, Ummedganj, Kota, 324001, Rajasthan.
4G.B. Pant Univ. of Agri. & Tech., Pantnagar, 263 145, U.P.
5N.D. Univ. of Agri & Tech. Kumarganj, Faizabad, 224 229, U.P.
6Orissa Univ. of Agri. & Tech. Bhubaneshwar, 751 003, Orissa.
Surveillance of the major potato diseases revealed a high incidence of late blight in indian hills but its incidence was higher in the plains in 1992–93, 1994–95 and 1995–96. Early blight infection was more in eastern plains, northern Gujarat and Satpura plateau. Fungal wilt was sporadic except in Karnataka, northern Gujarat and Satpura plateau. Among viruses, severe mosaic (0.1 to 15%) and leaf roll (1 to 45%) were omnipresent but higher in Satpura plateau, northern Gujarat followed by eastern plains and UP tarai but least in the NW plains. Potato Stem necrosis tospovirus was rampant in Rajasthan at Kota and MP and Chhindwara. Increasing incidence (2.5–20.5%) of bacterial wilt was observed in northern Gujarat, Orrisa (upto 40%), Satpura plateau (upto 19%) West Bangal (upto 8%) in certain years probably due to occurrence of the pathogen in weeds and carryover of latent infection through seed tubers. Incidence of both common scab and black scruf was modest to high both in all the areas/years with the peak in 1994–95.
