Describes the symptoms and damage caused by silver scurf, a fungal disease of potatoes. Includes color photos of symptoms. Discusses sources of inoculum and the disease life cycle. Suggests management practices (seed selection, crop rotation, seed treatments, management of die-down, sanitation, harvest, and storage) to minimize disease problems.
Silver scurf is caused by a fungus, Helminthosporium solani, a relatively new problem related to potato production in North America. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that this fungus was identified as being a serious problem in the Pacific Northwest. This fungus produces a surface blemish on tubers, causing them...