Pests and Diseases: Potato
February 3, 2010 by Linda
Filed under Pests & Diseases
Aphid:
- Symptoms: Plant infested with greenfly.
- Treatment: Spray at first sign of attack
- Prevention: None
Blackleg:
- Symptoms: Blackened stems at and below ground level. Leaves turn yellow and wilt.
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Do not plant soft or rotten seed tubers and don't cut tubers
Capsid Bug:
- Symptoms: Small brown spots in leaves, later turn into holes
- Treatment: Spray if attack is bad, will not affect yield
- Prevention: None
Common Scab:
- Symptoms: Ragged-edged scurfy patches. Only on the skin, the flesh is not affected.
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Buy healthy seed tubers. Do not Lime.
Dry Rot:
- Symptoms: Shrunken area with white pustules occur during storage.
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Rotate crops. Ensure tubers are sound before storing and handle carefully.
Frost:
- Symptoms: Black stems or yellow patches on leaves
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Cover if frost is expected
Gapping:
- Symptoms: Seed potatoes do not develop shoots
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Buy healthy seed tubers and ensure they are kept in a frost-free location
Gangrene:
- Symptoms: Dark brown depressions on the surface of the tuber
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Store only sound tubers and keep air and frost-free
Hollow Heart:
- Symptoms: Hollow centre of tubers
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Keep well watered during dry spells
Leaf Roll Virus:
- Symptoms: Leaves are rolled upwards and become hard and brittle
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Buy healthy seed tubers. Spray to control the virus-carrying aphids.
Mosaic Virus:
- Symptoms: Yellow or pale green mottling over the surface of the leaf
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Buy healthy seed tubers. Spray to control the virus-carrying aphids.
Magnesium Deficiency:
- Symptoms: Yellowing between the veins of the leaves which turns brown and brittle. Stunted growth.
- Treatment: Apply MultiTonic and spray with Fillip
- Prevention: Feed regularly during the growing season using a fertiliser with magnesium
Potato Blight:
- Symptoms: Brown patches on the leaves with white mould on the underside of each spot. Can destroy all the foliage. grey patches below the skin.
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Buy healthy seed tubers. Spray with Dithane in July and repeat every fortnight if the weather is damp. Keep earthed up.
Potato Cyst Eelworm:
- Symptoms: Weak and stunted plants. Small tubers produced
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Rotate crops. Don't grow potatoes or tomatoes on infected land for at least six years
Powdery Scab:
- Symptoms: Round patches with raised margins on the skin.
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Rotate crops
Rosy Rustic Moth:
- Symptoms: Hollow stems causing plants to die down early
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: None
Splitting:
- Symptoms: Deep cracks on surface of tubers
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Do not store. Keep plants well watered during dry spells.
Slugs:
- Symptoms: Large holes in the tubers
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Don't add too much manure and lift tubers as soon as they mature. Keep the area free of rubbish.
Spraing:
- Symptoms: Curved lines in the flesh
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Rotate crops
Soft Rot:
- Symptoms: Soft, evil-smelling flesh
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Store only sound tubers and keep dry
Spindly Sprouts:
- Symptoms: Thin shoots
- Treatment: Stand tubers in a light cool place
- Prevention: Buy healthy seed tubers and ensure they are sprouted in a light, frost-free location.
Soft Tubers:
- Symptoms: Soft and rubbery tubers
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Water well during drought conditions
Wireworm:
- Symptoms: Orange, shiny larvae produce tunnels in the flesh of tubers
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Rake Chlorophos into the soil before planting and lift tubers as soon as they are mature.
Wart Disease:
- Symptoms: Black warty outgrowths on tubers
- Treatment: None
- Prevention: Only plant immune varieties on infected land
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