Reproductive Strategies of Field Phytophthora Infestans Populations on Potato and Tomato in Some Regions of Russia

The occurrence of zoosporangia and oospores is analyzed for 88 field populations of Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary in Moscow region and other regions of Russia from 1997 to 2006. For estimation of zoosporangia and oospore frequencies in the populations, the indexes IZ (for zoosporangia) and IO (for oospores) are suggested. The combinations of these indexes enabled a reveal of 4 strategies for P. infestans reproduction, which were found in the field populations of the pathogen. These strategies were more numerous in P. infestans field populations on tomato than on potato (4 versus 2) in spite of the fact that potato populations in Moscow region strongly predominated. It was connected with rareness or absence of oospores in potato and their presence in tomato, especially in fruit of many populations. The knowledge about strategies of reproduction can be applied for verification of efficiency of new methods for crop protection against late blight, and for investigations of P. infestans populations.