Storage Rot

Storage Rot

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Double threat. The late blight that has been discovered in Bingham County poses a problem not only to potatoes in the ground, but according to U of I seed potato specialist Dr. Phill Nolte: “I should mention that part of the reason we are so concerned about it is that not only does it affect the foliage, in other words it can take out the leaves and vines and thereby stop an increase in size in the tubers but this can also get into the tubers and cause a storage rot in the tubers as well. So you have a disease here that is a problem on both sides, during the production year and in the storage facility. Can potatoes that have been affected and that are going into storage be treated to avoid this condition? There are some materials that can be applied in a post harvest fashion as the potatoes are going into the cellar. So potato producers beware. Yes, if you know you have the disease in your field it might be a good year to consider using a post harvest application. During the growing season itself, growers are advised to apply the preventive fungicide sprays on a seven day schedule. The problem you run into is that some of the material can be washed off, particularly for crops under irrigation when the protective coating can be washed off.
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