Potato Early Dying Research Articles

Effects of Three Soil Types on Potato Early Dying Disease And Associated Yield Reduction

Effects of Three Soil Types on Potato Early Dying Disease And Associated Yield Reduction

Potato early dying—A serious threat to the potato industry

Potato early dying (PED) is characterized by a loss of plant vigor during mid to late summer followed by senescence and death of the crop a few weeks prior to normal maturity. This disease is of serious importance in areas of long-term or intensive potato production and is largely uncontrolled. Symptoms of PED, which are difficult to distinguish from normal senescence, especially in early-maturing cultivars, are uneven chlorosis and necrosis of vines and tan discoloration of vascular tissues. The basic cause of PED is the soil fungusVerticillium. Two species are involved—V. alboatrum predominating in cooler areas andV. dahliae in warmer areas. Both fungi commonly occur in cultivated soils and persist as melanized hyphae or microsclerotia, respectively. Infection occurs through roots followed by colonization of the vascular system. Contamination of uninfested fields can occur by wind or mechanical movement of soil-borne propagules or introduction of infested seed stock. AlthoughVerticillium is the primary pathogen in potato early dying, other soil organisms are involved, resulting in a “disease complex.” Research is under way in many areas to further our understanding of these pathogenic interactions and to exploit this knowledge for use in new systems of prediction and control.

Root deterioration in the potato early dying syndrome: Causes and effects of root biomass reductions associated with colonization byVerticillium dahliae

Russet Burbank potatoes were grown in the greenhouse in a split-root culture system to assess the impact of pathogens associated with the Potato Early Dying Syndrome (PED) on root deterioration. Plants were grown with all, half, or none of the root system in steamed soil infested withVerticillium dahliae, or in field soil infested withV. dahliae and other PED pathogens. The direct impact of pathogens on root deterioration versus indirect effects resulting from premature senescence of the whole plant was evaluated. Root biomass did not differ significantly between root halves from the same plant in infested and uninfested soil. Root biomass from plants with both halves of the root system in uninfested soil was usually greater than from plants with one or both halves growing in infested soil. Root biomass decreased rapidly after plant stems were inoculated with conidial suspensions ofV. dahliae. Root deterioration in PED was associated with premature senescence of foliar tissue and occurred independently of root colonization by root-colonizing pathogens.