Storecast: Predicting the Future Health of Potatoes in Storage

For the first time, a tool is now available to growers for determining the risk of disease to potatoes in storage. The recent commercialization of this novel diagnostic tool may assist producers with their in-storage disease management programs.

Pest Pros Inc., an independent crop consulting firm and plant disease diagnostic laboratory, located in Plainfield, Wisconsin, has developed and commercialized the first system of its kind to test for the probability of developing potato storage diseases during the growing season before the potatoes are harvested.

Using the polymerase chain reaction, a scientific technique used to amplify DNA, the relative risk of disease potential in storage for pink rot, pythium and soft rot can be determined. Dry rot, silver scurf, early blight and black dot can also be included in the pathogen screen.

Pest Pros’ Storage Potato Disease Risk Indexing System is called Storecast, and is to be used by growers as a storage disease and inventory management tool. Testing involves collecting healthy-looking tubers from the field before harvest, cleaning and juicing them, and then extracting their genetic material.

The ultimate goal is to provide a means for growers to segregate their “risky” potatoes from their healthy potatoes—by variety in storage—and manage the quality of healthy potatoes in long-term storage.