The potato is a member of the Solanaceae family that was first domesticated in Peru over 4000 years ago. It provides many nutrients and is commonly consumed worldwide. There are two main potato diseases: early blight and late blight. Early blight causes brown leaf spots and is caused by the fungus Alternaria solani, which survives in plant debris. Late blight caused the Irish potato famine and is caused by Phytophthora infestans, which survives in infected tubers and soil. Both diseases require management through crop rotation, sanitation, and fungicide application to control spread and damage.