News on Potato Defects and Diseases from Minnesota

Powdery scab is a potato disease that is difficult to manage and under certain environmental conditions powdery scab can be potentially devastating to susceptible potato varieties.

A new potato variety that’s genetically modified to withstand bruising has been cleared for commercialization without undergoing USDA’s deregulatory process for biotech crops.

According to the University of Minnesota Extension 'Spudbug' Newsletter, it is shaping up to be a Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB) year in the Red River Valley.

Late blight is a potentially destructive disease of potato and tomato crops worldwide that can result in significant losses if detected too late, diagnosed incorrectly, or if not treated properly.

Of the more than 100 diseases of potato, bacterial ring rot is one of the few zero-tolerance pests. If just one seed potato on a farm is found to have this disease, no seed on that farm can be certified.