| Potato (Solanum tuberosum) -- Wart | |||
| Cause: Synchytrium endobioticum, a primitive parasitic fungus that does not occur in the United States. Potato wart was found on Prince Edward's Island, Canada in 2000 and there was concern that it may have spread to other areas. So far the disease has not been found in other provinces of Canada or in the US. | |||
| Symptoms:
The primary symptom consists of galls on tubers, stolons and stems, and occasionally on leaves, but never on roots. These growths start out small and are tan to cream colored on portions of the plant below ground; aerial galls or tuber galls exposed to the sun are green. With age, all galls turn brown, and then black. Galls may be as small as a pea or may be up to the same size or larger than the host tuber.
The galls are formed of both host and fungal tissue, and once the galls break down, the resistant survival structures (sporangia) of the fungus are released and may remain viable in the soil for upwards of 30-40 years. There is no effective control once the disease is present in a field; infested fields must be managed to prevent spread of the organism. Suspect tubers or plants should be left in place and reported to the state Department of Agriculture for confirmation of the disease. |
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| Content edited by: Melodie Putnam and Cynthia M. Ocamb on January 1, 2009 | |||
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