Nutrition

 

It may be obvious what a plant pathogen eats, but to make it perfectly clear—it eats plants– just not the way you or I would.  P. infestans requires various nutrients as listed below, and obtains them by using its hyphae.  Based on its growth pattern on the leaves of the host, it is believed

What Does a Plant Killer Eat?

into itself (Hohl 1991). 

 

Required Nutrients:

Organic Carbon source

Essential major elements: O, H, P, N, S, K, Ca, Mg, Fe

Several trace elements

Thiamine (vitamin B1)

(Hohl 1991)

that P. infestans does not obtain very many nutrients from the host until it establishes itself within the epidermal cells of the host.  When it is established, however, the hyphae can readily uptake nutrients

Photo Credits

1.  Courtesy J. P. Jones. Reproduced with permission from Schumann, G. L. and C. J. D’Arcy. 2000. Late blight of potato and tomato. The Plant Health Instructor. DOI: 10.1094/PHI-I-2000-0724-01.

2.  Courtesy D. P. Weingartner. Reproduced with permission from Schumann, G. L. and C. J. D’Arcy. 2000. Late blight of potato and tomato. The Plant Health Instructor. DOI: 10.1094/PHI-I-2000-0724-01.

Tomato fruits with late blight (1).

Late blight lesions on potato (2).