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Pink tuber rot (Phytophthora erythroseptica var. erythroseptica) – identify and control
Pink tuber rot, Phytophthora erythroseptica occurs sporadically but can cause damage to 10-15% of the harvest.
Symptoms. The aerial part shows symptoms of attack only at maturity when wilting, discoloration, and drying of the basal leaves are observed. Blackish-brown wounds appear on the stems. In the tubers, there are dark areas, bordered by a black stripe, which can be seen through the bark. The diseased tubers are dehydrated, elastic, and fluid is discharged through the meshes which immediately turns dark brown. When sectioning, it is observed that the diseased tissues are cream-colored, similar to frozen tubers, but in a short time, the area becomes pink-orange.
Pink tuber rot can survive in the soil for a long time even if the potato does not return to the same soil. The transmission of the fungus from one year to another is done both through the diseased tubers and through the soil that contains spores. The spread in the crop is ensured during the vegetation by the spores carried by rainwater or irrigation water.
Prevention and control. Planting healthy tubers from non-infected fields, as well as draining excess moisture, limits the damage caused by this fungus. In the irrigated fields, balanced norms of water will be used in the second part of the vegetation. When storing the planting material, careful sorting will be done, eliminating the soft tubers that can be attacked by this fungus or by the bacteria. Preventive field treatments are carried out with specific fungicides.
