Russian scientists created a non-toxic agent to protect potatoes

Russian scientists have developed a non-toxic agent that helps effectively protect potatoes from diseases and increase their yield, the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education said.

The yield of potatoes is greatly reduced due to their high susceptibility to diseases. One of the main methods of combating pathogens in potatoes is the chemical plant protection products.

However, this approach is not safe enough: pesticides are non-specific, often toxic to animals and humans, and can cause resistance in some pathogens, which forces plants to be treated more often and at higher doses. In addition, the widespread use of pesticides pollutes the environment and destroys beneficial organisms.

Employees of the Krasnoyarsk Science Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Siberian Federal University have developed a new fungicide placed in a biodegradable matrix.

This design releases the active substance into the soil in a controlled and portioned manner, which makes it possible to avoid multiple treatments of plants during the growing season. The use of the new drug not only significantly reduces the incidence and increases the yield of potatoes but also reduces the content of nitrates in roots.

The new development was studied both on potatoes grown in the laboratory and in the field, where the drug was applied to the soil when potatoes were planted. As a result, the development of the groups of the most harmful pathogens of potato diseases was suppressed, earlier germination occurred and more active growth of potatoes was observed against the background of a decrease in the area of ​​plant damage. As a result, this increased the yield by more than 70%. The researchers also note that the content of nitrates in potato roots decreased by 12%.

Source: ria.ru