Why do potato leaves turn yellow from below and what to do?

Almost all vegetable lovers are engaged in growing potatoes. However, not everyone manages to get a high-quality harvest, since potatoes are often sick and are attacked by pests. Many vegetable growers do not know what to do if the potato tops turn yellow. In order for the plant not to turn yellow, it is necessary to understand the causes of this problem and ways to eliminate it.

Should I sound the alarm when potato tops turn yellow?

Some do not know what to do if potato leaves dry and whether it is worth paying attention to this problem. Definitely worth it, since the future harvest depends on the health of the grown bushes. If the potato leaves begin to turn yellow, the probability of losing almost the entire crop increases by 2-3 times.

When even slight changes in flower color appear or potato tops it is necessary to immediately determine the reasons for such changes and start treating plants.

The reasons

It is difficult for inexperienced vegetable growers to independently determine the causes of the yellowness of the leaves, and therefore it is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the main factors that cause the tops to dry out.

Temperature and humidity

Most often, the lower leaves of potatoes turn yellow due to the lack of temperature control when growing the vegetable. Due to severe drought, the leaves located at the bottom of the bushes turn yellow. Over time, yellowing spreads to the upper leaves. Sometimes drying out of the soil provokes the appearance of diseases and some gardeners have to deal with late blight.

When the air temperature exceeds 30-35 degrees, potatoes have difficulties with metabolism. It is because of this that the amount of the crop decreases several times.

When growing such a vegetable, it is necessary to ensure that the soil moisture is 60–80%. Therefore, before planting potatoes, an irrigation system is made on the site. Also, to avoid yellowing of the leaves, you must regularly loosen the soil.

Lack of fertilizer

Another reason why the lower leaves of potatoes turn yellow is the insufficient amount of nutrients in the soil. Plants often lack the following elements:

• Nitrogen. Determining the lack of this substance is quite simple. To do this, it is enough to examine the potato leaves. With a lack of nitrogen, they turn pale, gradually turn yellow and fall. In order for potato bushes to grow green mass again, it is necessary to restore the flow of nitrogen into the soil.For this, 50 grams of the substance is added per square meter of the site.
• Phosphorus. This substance must be present in the soil, since it is responsible for the formation of tubers and the development of plant roots. With a lack of this important trace element, the bushes tolerate high air temperatures worse, which leads to yellowing of the leaves.
• Potassium. Potassium-containing substances in the soil improve the taste of the grown potatoes and increase their immunity. If the plant does not have enough potassium, then problems with photosynthesis will appear and the leaves will begin to wilt.

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Disease development

The reasons why the lower leaves of potatoes turn yellow include common plant diseases. Such disease lesions not only worsen the yield, but also completely destroy the potato bushes.

Fungal and bacterial diseases of potatoes

Speaking about why the potato tops dry up and turn yellow, it is necessary to mention fungal diseases. Most often, plants suffer from late blight, which can completely destroy plants. Bushes are infected with this fungal disease in two ways:

• through the remnants of infected vegetables that remained in the ground from last season;
• through untreated planting material.

To protect potatoes from fungal diseases, all tubers are treated with fungicides before planting.

Nonparasitic diseases of potatoes

Sometimes the tops and tubers of potatoes wilt due to non-infectious diseases that appear due to inappropriate growing conditions for vegetables.

The most common nonparasitic disease is glandular rust, due to which the leaves and fruits of potatoes begin to turn yellow quickly. The disease occurs and actively develops at low humidity and high air temperature. Also during the development of the plant, the disease appears due to a lack of aluminum or phosphorus.

Viral diseases

Viral diseases are the most common diseases that can cause yellowing of potato tops. To determine a viral disease, you need to familiarize yourself with the main signs of such diseases. These include wilting, yellowness, and leaf curling. However, symptoms may vary depending on the type of disease and potato variety.

Infection of potatoes with viruses is carried out through parasites or contact with already infected vegetables. Often, healthy planting material is infected with mosaic alfalfa, which reduces the amount of chlorophyll in the tops. To prevent the plant from becoming infected with mosaic alfalfa, all tubers are disinfected before planting.

Pest attack

The main reasons why potato bushes turn yellow include the attack of harmful insects.

Growers often encounter nematodes that infest their crops. These pests live in the ground and feed on potato juice from the tubers. When insects suck out large amounts of sap, the plants turn yellow and gradually die.

Another pest that every vegetable grower has to deal with is the Colorado potato beetle. This insect also lives in the ground and feeds on the tops of the plant. If you do not get rid of the Colorado potato beetle in a timely manner, the bushes will die from wilting.

Potato parasites

Potato parasites are very dangerous for this vegetable, as they can reduce the yield by two and a half times. The most common parasite is the golden nematode, which invades the roots of bushes. Because of this, the potato tops gradually wither and turn yellow. It is quite difficult to detect a nematode, since with a weak infection, visible signs on plants do not appear immediately. In the first 2-3 weeks, the bushes seem to be completely healthy.

There is also a stem nematode that infects plants through their stem.After infection, the fruits of the potatoes darken and cracks appear on them.

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Harmful insects

The causes of yellowing of vegetable leaves are harmful insects that often attack plants.

With an insufficient amount of moisture in the ground, wireworms appear, which infect the root system with tubers. In root crops affected by wireworm, immunity decreases and because of this, the plants are exposed to bacterial diseases, which are accompanied by yellowing of the leaves.

Also, plants are attacked by potato moths, which penetrate the leaves. The main difference between this pest is that it spoils the plant even after harvest.

Plant protection

To protect the first shoots from pests and diseases, you need to take care of their protection in advance. This requires:

• Plant varieties that are immune to the most common diseases and dangerous insects.
• 15 days after planting the tubers in the soil, to preserve the green mass, treat the area with a garlic solution. To prepare it, 350 grams of a vegetable is passed through a meat grinder and poured with a liter of heated water. The resulting solution is infused for at least a day, after which it is filtered with gauze. Before using the liquid, another 10 liters of water are added to it to make the solution less concentrated. Spray the bushes with the garlic mixture three times a month.
• During the flowering of bushes, fungicides can be used for prevention. Ditamin, copper oxychloride and Cuproxat are suitable for this.

Tips from an experienced summer resident

Not everyone knows what to do if the potatoes turn yellow and dry. To get a high-quality harvest, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic tips for growing this vegetable:

• Plant marigolds, peas, oats, beets and cabbage near potato bushes to scare away pests from potatoes.
• Before planting, fertilizers with urea are added to the soil. No more than 700-800 grams of fertilizers are consumed per one hundred square meters of a plot.
• During planting, the wells should be processed. They are supplemented with bird droppings with overripe manure mixed with soil.
• After disembarkation, the site must be treated with liquid chicken droppings. At least ten liters of solution are consumed per square meter.

Conclusion

Every vegetable grower who grows potatoes faced the problem of yellow leaves. To get rid of yellowing, you need to understand the causes of its appearance and get acquainted with methods of treating bushes.