Late Blight of Eggplant

The causative agent of the disease is the oomycete Phytophthora infestans. The first signs of infection on eggplant usually appear during the flowering stage on the lower leaves as diffuse rusty-brown spots with a pale green border. Under high humidity, a faint whitish sporulation layer can be observed on the underside of the leaf, while in dry weather, the affected tissues dry out and crumble.

On stems and petioles, the disease manifests as coalescing dark brown spots. On the fruits, firm diffuse brown spots appear, which soften as the infection progresses, turning into a rotting mass. In the international resistance coding system, there are no established standards for late blight in eggplant, and commercially significant resistance genes have not yet been identified in the crop's breeding.