COMPARING THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF TARO LEAVES WITH DIFFERENT AGES AGAINST PHYTOPHTHORA LEAF BLIGHT DISEASE

The study aims to examine Saitomo cultivar resistance to Phytophthora colocasiae isolate causing leaf blight disease following floating leaf disc assay method in vitro. This research was conducted in Tanralili village, Maros district. and Plant Disease Laboratory, Department of Pests and Plant Diseases, Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University, Makasssar. The research was carried out for 6 months during dry and wet seasons in 2020. Leaf ages were obtained from Satoimo cultivar of taro. Pathogen isolation was subcultured onto juice V-8 medium before putative P. colocasiae isolate was then tested into 2 cm square of leaf following floating leaf disc assay technique. Old leaf of Satoimo cultivar was the most susceptible and mature leaf was the most resistant. In this study, immature tissue did not show to have a more resistant to infection than other leaves. The causal disease-agent of leaf blight necrotic lesion on the infected leaf obtained from a wild taro had similar characters with P. colocasiae species.