Red Potatoes have scabs - Ask Extension
I have never had this before. Only difference was I purchased some amended soil from t & j gravel products Palmer.
How do I stop this from occurr...
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Red Potatoes have scabs #810012
Asked September 08, 2022, 5:05 PM EDT
I have never had this before. Only difference was I purchased some amended soil from t & j gravel products Palmer.
How do I stop this from occurring next year? Is eating the potatoes bad to health?
Thanks for your time.
Matanuska-Susitna County Alaska
Expert Response
Hi Dan,
You have what looks like common potato scab there. The good news is that scab does not harm people and you can pretty easily rub off the spots because they are barely skin deep.You'll want to eat them soon because they wont store for long because the protective skin has been compromised.
Scab is caused by bacteria that, once introduced, persist for a long time in the soil. It sounds like it may likely have come from the new soil, but can also be introduced undetected on seed potatoes.
Please see the UAF Extension publication HGA-00027 https://cespubs.uaf.edu/index.php/download_file/1277/ for more information.
As far as cultural practices go, the bacteria thrive in high organic conditions so manure additions my exacerbate the problem while maintaining a lower pH is NOT preferred by the bacteria.
Besides those two factors, sourcing scab-resistant seed potato varieties, such as Alaska Frostless and Atlantic, is the best bet for getting a crop that has less scab at harvest time.
The other thing, of course, is to plant crops other than potatoes in that area since it only affects potatoes.
You have what looks like common potato scab there. The good news is that scab does not harm people and you can pretty easily rub off the spots because they are barely skin deep.You'll want to eat them soon because they wont store for long because the protective skin has been compromised.
Scab is caused by bacteria that, once introduced, persist for a long time in the soil. It sounds like it may likely have come from the new soil, but can also be introduced undetected on seed potatoes.
Please see the UAF Extension publication HGA-00027 https://cespubs.uaf.edu/index.php/download_file/1277/ for more information.
As far as cultural practices go, the bacteria thrive in high organic conditions so manure additions my exacerbate the problem while maintaining a lower pH is NOT preferred by the bacteria.
Besides those two factors, sourcing scab-resistant seed potato varieties, such as Alaska Frostless and Atlantic, is the best bet for getting a crop that has less scab at harvest time.
The other thing, of course, is to plant crops other than potatoes in that area since it only affects potatoes.
