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The objectives of the project were:
Approaches
Two replicated field trials in Aberdeenshire (Olmeldrum; Rothienorman); eight large-scale field comparisons; and trials to study the spread of P. atrosepticum inoculated into crops, were carried out during the project. Levels of Pba contamination of daughter tubers were measured in the trials.In some trials, a distinction was made as to whether Pba was present on the surface of tubers or in samples from the stolon end of peeled tubers. In the replicated field trials, the effectiveness of the haulm destruction treatments (foliage senescence and stem desiccation) was measured.Colonisation of stems by Phoma species (the fungi which cause gangrene) was assessed just prior to harvest and tuber disease (soft rot, gangrene, pit rot) was assessed in samples of stored tubers.
Results
In all the large-scale field comparisons, where pulverisation was compared to chemical desiccation; and in the two replicated field trials where five haulm destruction programmes were compared, no differences in the tuber contamination of the periderm of daughter tubers by Pba was observed between the treatments.When compared to the haulm desiccant-only programme, those programmes involving pulverisation resulted in some significant reductions in pit rot incidence and severity in the trials. In these trials the non-flailing treatment was only diquat, consequently the effect of a diquat and carfentrazone ethyl treatment was not evaluated.To identify the impact of haulm destruction method on disease risks in seed potato production