Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: chimaera on June 01, 2011, 10:36

Title: what potato disease?
Post by: chimaera on June 01, 2011, 10:36

I have several potato plant dying and it does not seem to fit the descriptions of the main diseases. The plants were never good and are small and have gone yellowish and brown at the edges with very small leaves.  I dug one up and the seed had turned to grey pulp and there were only minute new tubers forming. I saw no eelworm cysts. All the dying plants are the same variety (Lady Crystl) and are not next to each other. Other varieties alongside are fine. The bed they are in have not had potatoes in it for at least 5 years. Could it just be death due to drought or is it something nasty that could spread?

Charlie

Title: Re: what potato disease?
Post by: Aunt Sally on June 01, 2011, 10:37

Picture please :)

Title: Re: what potato disease?
Post by: DD. on June 01, 2011, 10:40

I have it on (very) good authority that there was a shortage of LC seed spuds this year due to "soft rot".

I wonder if it could be that?

Title: Re: what potato disease?
Post by: JayG on June 01, 2011, 10:58

Some of my LC were very much like yours last year but the eelworm cysts were clearly visible (on the roots, not the tubers.)

DD may be right about soft rot, although having Googled around I can't work out whether it is a common problem if the tubers were sound when actually planted.

Title: Re: what potato disease?
Post by: Kleftiwallah on June 01, 2011, 11:24

My Lady Crystl plants seem to be O.K. (for now)!  :unsure:  Cheers,   Tony.