Old Blue

[Medbury Gardens]

While potato planting today i again noticed that some of the old blue spuds had thin shoots while most had normal,in the 15 years or so growing this spud it has always done this but have given little thought to as why,i have sorted the two out and planted separately,i look see what happens come harvest.
Does anyone know what causes this?

[Tom Wagner]

http://tinyurl.com/42o3ox

Aster yellow or Purple top or Haywire aka Mycoplama
phytoplasmas (purple top phytoplasma and aster yellows) in potatoes

Leafhopper-transmitted virescence agent (BLTVA) phytoplasma was the causal agent of the disease; phytoplasmas are microorganisms that have characteristics of both bacteria and viruses.

Symptoms manifest in affected potato plants include a rolling upward of the top leaves with yellowish, reddish or purplish discoloration, moderate proliferation of buds, shortened internodes, swollen nodes, aerial tubers and early plant decline.

When affected, tubers produce spindly sprouts called hair sprouts.

http://tinyurl.com/4v9upm
Picture of potato with haywire

The chief important host for aster leafhopper is small grains where they pick up the disease-causing MLO



I submitted the information above to illustrate the evidence for the disorder.


And, yes, I experience this nearly every year. I look at my seed potatoes to make sure I don't unwittingly plant the hair sprout potato tubers. It normally produces a less than desirable plant. I am constantly breeding lines that never show the symptoms, in a perhaps vain attempt to get some resistance built into my clones. I don't know if I am truly getting resistance or just lucky.


I know that two years ago my Kern Toro variety of potato had it from a commercial seed grower and it ruined the variety's reputation for many.


Tom Wagner

[Medbury Gardens]

Thanks for that Tom maybe i shouldn`t planted them,they were planted in there own row, so i`ll see how they come out of the ground in April. oh well they are in now so i`ll be aware from now on not to plant those again.
I will also keep an eye out for leafhoppers, i don`t know what varieties of hoppers we have here but i would imagine they would all be capable of speading virus.
Richard