Potato scab is a bacterial disease that affects the appearance of the potato; it results in tan to dark brown, rough-textured lesions/scabs on the surface. Scab can be introduced to your garden by planting potato seeds that have scab, or by adding manure or dirt that has the bacteria present. Because the bacteria that are responsible for scab lives in the dirt once you get it you’re pretty much stuck with it.
That being said, certain potatoes are more resistant to scab than others. Norland potatoes are one of the most resistance variety and Yukon Gold are one of the most susceptible variety; both of which we planted. You can also try to control potato scab by adjusted the pH of your soil; the more acidic your soil is the less of an impact scab will have on your potatoes. Adjusting the pH of your soil is easier said than done though, especially when you have a garden the size of ours! This fall Steve wants to add lime to the garden in attempt to lower the pH.
 |
| Scab on last years Yukon Gold |
Thankfully, scab only affects the appearance of the potato and the flesh just under the skin (if severe enough) and does not make your potatoes un-edible. They only downfall of having potato scab, in my opinion, is you end up having to peel a lot of potatoes.
The Norlands we’ve dug up this year have shown signs of scab but once exposed to the air and cleaned it is extremely difficult to see. The scab is so small it looks like little pen dots. We have yet to dig up any Yukon Gold but I’m guessing the scab will be more evident on them, similar to last year.
 |
| The tiny white spots are scab on 'tators fresh out the ground. |
 |
| Small brown dots are scab on 'tators after being cleaned & dried. |
No comments:
Post a Comment