Verticillium in potato plants

11 Aug 2009 Unit: Praktijkonderzoek Plant en Omgeving Potato growers find Verticillium wilting disease in their fields at his time of the year.   This appears from reactions on the forum of DCA (Dienstencentrum Agrarische Markt; Service Centre Agricultural Market). The disease is characterised by early ripening of the crop. This comes as a shock to farmers. ”Verticillium may be a major problem”, explains Jan Lamers, researcher at PPO. A narrower crop rotation is stimulating the disease because this enables the fungus to build up. ”This may lead to yield depressions of 8 to 12 per cent in comparison with wider crop rotations.”   Different factors bring the disease to light. Water logging and associated nitrogen deficiency and recent warm weather do certainly play a role, according to Lamers. ”You know that Verticillium is involved when the leaves are wilting at one side, from the bottom to the top of the plant. The disease blocks the veins of the stems.”   There is nothing to be done against the disease at that stage. ”The narrower the rotation, the more problems with Verticillium”, is the general rule mentioned by Lamers. ”Potatoes reach senescence two weeks earlier than normal. Verticillium certainly plays a role.”   Source: www.boerderij.nl (in Dutch)

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