Re: What rotted these potatoes?

"Rodney Blackall" wrote
> This probably not the best place to post this, but I don't want to
> subscribe
> to another group for a single question.
>
> Last week we bought some red potatoes from Tesco and have had a long
> weekend
> break from eating them. This evening three of the remainder were found to
> have large soft patches and to be oozing an evil smelling, thin brown
> liquid. One of these had only a small bad patch so I thought to cut it
> away,
> the cut revealed a cluster of brown spots rather like lettering in a stick
> of rock. The spots ran the whole way through the quite large potato so it
> was discarded.
>
> I have never seen the like in 70 years; can anyone tell me what would
> cause
> this (NOT global warming please!)
>

That sounds like Blight, what caused the Irish Potato Famine, normally you
get dark sunken areas and the inside is discoloured with a dry brown rot.
Other pathogens then cause secondary soft rots with the nasty smell.
There are other possibilities like Potato Gangrene but with that the tuber
turns pink as it rots. Spraing causes brown area of discolouration within
the potato but not normally rot, looks nasty though.
We have never suffered with it on potatoes but the same disease attacks
tomatoes (same family) and they get attacked every year unless I spray with
Bordeaux mixture to prevent it.
--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

"Rodney Blackall" wrote after Bob Hobden replied
>
>> That sounds like Blight, what caused the Irish Potato Famine, normally
>> you > get dark sunken areas and the inside is discoloured with a dry
>> brown rot.
>> Other pathogens then cause secondary soft rots with the nasty smell.
>
> That sounds nasty; I wonder the spuds got into the food chain at all! I
> shall have to let Tesco know.
>
> Thanks also to Chris for the website.
>

If only one or two plants in a field had been infected then I could
understand it and they won't do you any harm to humans not that anyone would
want to eat them, although by the sound of it they had become badly infected
and the blackening of the hulms would/should have been obvious to the
trained eye.
Blight can overwinter in potatoes that are left behind after cropping so
that field could continue to be infected.
There are some very good Blight resistant potatoes these days, the Sarpo
strains from Hungary, but ime they are very susceptible to other diseases
like scab and slugs. I will certainly not be growing Sarpo Axona again after
this years trial.

--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

"Bob Hobden" <bobh@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:4q4sj7Flf6hfU1@individual.net...
>
> "Rodney Blackall" wrote after Bob Hobden replied
>>
>>> That sounds like Blight, what caused the Irish Potato Famine, normally
>>> you > get dark sunken areas and the inside is discoloured with a dry
>>> brown rot.
>>> Other pathogens then cause secondary soft rots with the nasty smell.
>>
>> That sounds nasty; I wonder the spuds got into the food chain at all! I
>> shall have to let Tesco know.
>>
>> Thanks also to Chris for the website.
>>
>
> If only one or two plants in a field had been infected then I could
> understand it and they won't do you any harm to humans not that anyone
> would want to eat them, although by the sound of it they had become badly
> infected and the blackening of the hulms would/should have been obvious to
> the trained eye.
> Blight can overwinter in potatoes that are left behind after cropping so
> that field could continue to be infected.
> There are some very good Blight resistant potatoes these days, the Sarpo
> strains from Hungary, but ime they are very susceptible to other diseases
> like scab and slugs. I will certainly not be growing Sarpo Axona again
> after this years trial.

If it is blight, then there isn't a problem;-) Humans can't be infected IMO.
The Irish/French famine due to blight because that's the only thing peasants
had to eat. Mass starvation was the cause of the deaths;-)

Although I personally wouldn't eat an infected one;-)
--
Craven and Pendle Birds:
Bird watching in and around Craven & Pendle.
North Yorkshire and East Lancashire.
http://craven-and-pendle-birding.org/

	#1
Bob Hobden	Re: What rotted these potatoes? "Rodney Blackall" wrote > This probably not the best place to post this, but I don't want to > subscribe > to another group for a single question. > > Last week we bought some red potatoes from Tesco and have had a long > weekend > break from eating them. This evening three of the remainder were found to > have large soft patches and to be oozing an evil smelling, thin brown > liquid. One of these had only a small bad patch so I thought to cut it > away, > the cut revealed a cluster of brown spots rather like lettering in a stick > of rock. The spots ran the whole way through the quite large potato so it > was discarded. > > I have never seen the like in 70 years; can anyone tell me what would > cause > this (NOT global warming please!) > That sounds like Blight, what caused the Irish Potato Famine, normally you get dark sunken areas and the inside is discoloured with a dry brown rot. Other pathogens then cause secondary soft rots with the nasty smell. There are other possibilities like Potato Gangrene but with that the tuber turns pink as it rots. Spraing causes brown area of discolouration within the potato but not normally rot, looks nasty though. We have never suffered with it on potatoes but the same disease attacks tomatoes (same family) and they get attacked every year unless I spray with Bordeaux mixture to prevent it. -- Regards Bob H 17mls W. of London.UK

	#3
C R Fishwick	Re: What rotted these potatoes? "Bob Hobden" <bobh@invalid.com> wrote in message news:4q4sj7Flf6hfU1@individual.net... > > "Rodney Blackall" wrote after Bob Hobden replied >> >>> That sounds like Blight, what caused the Irish Potato Famine, normally >>> you > get dark sunken areas and the inside is discoloured with a dry >>> brown rot. >>> Other pathogens then cause secondary soft rots with the nasty smell. >> >> That sounds nasty; I wonder the spuds got into the food chain at all! I >> shall have to let Tesco know. >> >> Thanks also to Chris for the website. >> > > If only one or two plants in a field had been infected then I could > understand it and they won't do you any harm to humans not that anyone > would want to eat them, although by the sound of it they had become badly > infected and the blackening of the hulms would/should have been obvious to > the trained eye. > Blight can overwinter in potatoes that are left behind after cropping so > that field could continue to be infected. > There are some very good Blight resistant potatoes these days, the Sarpo > strains from Hungary, but ime they are very susceptible to other diseases > like scab and slugs. I will certainly not be growing Sarpo Axona again > after this years trial. If it is blight, then there isn't a problem;-) Humans can't be infected IMO. The Irish/French famine due to blight because that's the only thing peasants had to eat. Mass starvation was the cause of the deaths;-) Although I personally wouldn't eat an infected one;-) -- Craven and Pendle Birds: Bird watching in and around Craven & Pendle. North Yorkshire and East Lancashire. http://craven-and-pendle-birding.org/