REDUCING LOSSES IN POTATO PRODUCTION DUE TO PINK ROT

• Sponsoring Institution: State Agricultural Experiment Station
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: STATE
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0218273
• Project Start Date: Apr 1, 2009
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2009
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
ITHACA,NY 14853

Performing Department
Plant Pathology

Non Technical Summary
The goal of the project is to keep NY state potato industry valued at $94 million (2008) viable by assisting in controlling pink rot and other economically important soil borne diseases. Pink rot infected tubers are sometimes observed at harvest, but if they enter storage, an entire bin can be lost rapidly which at 2009 prices would be a loss of at least $210,000. Control is currently difficult as the organism has become resistant to mefenoxam, the active ingredient in the most commonly used fungicides. Using resistant varieties, would be ideal, but information is needed on how pink rot tolerant varieties will perform in NY State. We plan to identify varieties and determine their suitability for the NY State potato industry. Additional soil borne diseases are powdery scab and common scab, which are problematic to table stock and chip producers by having a serious impact on marketability. With powdery scab, the spores can survive in the soil for many years and there are no fungicides labeled for use in NY State. Rhizoctonia, can be controlled with fungicides, but such an approach is expensive. Certain cover crops have been shown to be of value in controlling these pathogens, and we plan to evaluate these for use in NY State. We see this work as having an immediate impact on local agriculture and therefore the economy of the State. By the end of year 2 we will have identified potato varieties with good pink rot resistance that will be suitable and immediately available for adoption by producers. In addition, we will have identified cover crops that can be used to assist in the control of powdery scab, common scab and Rhizoctonia. This will allow for increased marketable yields, a more sustainable production system and reduce the need to import potatoes from other states.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
212	1310	1160	60%
212	2299	1160	40%

Knowledge Area
212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1310 - Potato; 2299 - Miscellaneous and new crops, general/other;

Field Of Science
1160 - Pathology;

Keywords

potato varieties

pink rot control

soil borne pathogens

brassicas

cover crops

Goals / Objectives
Milestones and target dates 1. Producer will need to use the potato varieties identified from this study that have improved tolerance/resistance to pink rot. Target date Jan 1 2011. 2. Growers who have the identified soil borne pathogens will need to use the cover crops that we have shown to have ability to reduce pathogen levels in the soil. Target date Nov 1 2010.

Project Methods
Potato varieties will be screened for pink rot resistance under artificially inoculated conditions in field plots at Freeville NY, and in the greenhouse. Incidence and severity of pink rot in tubers at harvest and 1 and 3 months into storage will be determined. When cut, an infected tuber will turn pink after about 30 minutes at room temperature. The data from both the summer field study and the greenhouse studies will be analyzed statistically. Discussions will occur with the growers as to which varieties will best suit their needs and during the 2010 season they will grow these varieties on their farms. At harvest data will be collected on total yield, marketable yield, uniformity in size and shape, shallowness of eyes, and disease incidence. Diseases in addition to pink rot will be noted and will include common scab and Rhizoctonia. The marketable yield and size data will be statistically analyzed and compared with standard varieties for the farm. The potatoes will be stored at the temperature and humidity usually used by each farm. The potatoes will be evaluated after one and two-three months after storage for presence of post harvest diseases. Cooking qualities will be determined, on entry in October and at the beginning of January. For varieties being evaluated for chip use, Agtron M600 colorimeter readings will be taken after frying in cooking oil at 375F. For table stock varieties, after-cooking darkening and sloughing ratings will be obtained. These data will be statistically analyzed. With the agronomic, storage and cooking quality information on these varieties that have good tolerance to pink rot we should with in-put from the growers be able to identify varieties which best fit the various NY state growers needs. The literature will be reviewed to identify the cover crops that have been most effective at controlling the pathogens of greatest concern to our producers. The pathogen of greatest concern to both table stock and chip producers is common scab, with Rhizoctonia, black dot, powdery scab and pink rot in some situations and seasons. We will locate seed for cover crops, mainly Brassica species that have been shown to have efficacy for the identified diseases. We will determine the effect of the various crops on the various organisms by comparing the severity and incidence of disease on potatoes grown the following season against those grown where oats (a standard cover) had been planted. Plots will be established on several of the farms throughout the State. Some plots will be established late spring/early summer 2009 and the crop chopped and plowed in early fall, and others will be established in late summer 2009 and chopped and incorporated prior to winter kill. The emergence and growth of potatoes planted into soil sown to the different cover crops in the previous season will be recorded. At harvest, total yield for each treatment will be recorded. In addition, the severity and incidence of the various diseases will be recorded and compared with potatoes from the cover crop of oats. All data will be analyzed using SAS.

Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Potato cultivars (7 and control) were screened to determine their response to pink rot using artificially inoculated field conditions at the Cornell Vegetable Research Farm, Freeville NY. The potatoes were harvested in September when initial disease levels were recorded; subsequent data was obtained after a couple of months in storage. The reduction in marketable yield due to pink rot for the different cultivars and clones was analyzed using SAS. Additional cultivars and clones (6 and controls) were evaluated in the laboratory for response to pink rot. To determine differences in resistance between cultivars, the percentage tuber infected for the cultivars was analyzed using SAS. On-farm mustard trials were established on 6 farms, with the goal of determining the suitability of mustards as bio-fumigants for assisting in the control of soil borne diseases and organisms experienced by potato producers in NY. Potato field day was had at Freeville NY July 2009. We had posters to document our work and gave an overview of our work at our trial site. About 30 people attended. Potato Show and Tell is held every November and organized by the potato breeding group at Cornell. It allows the breeder to show growers and industry what is coming down the pipe line in the way of potential new cultivars and obtain their input. I gave a report on the response of the various clones and cultivars to pink rot. We had a display to show tubers of less familiar potatoes cultivars and also posters to show the Freeville field inoculation study and the mustard bio-fumigant on farm trials. About 30 people attended, with about 7 being growers. Later in November, Cornell organizes a training session for all co-operative extension educators. I shared the results from the studies with the potato cultivars and also the progress with the on-farm mustards and arugula as bio-fumigants with the educators and members of Cornell extension. At the beginning of December Dale Gies from High Performance Seed Company (mustard and arugula seed, marketed as Caliente)was in Ithaca, he gave a presentation and we had a round table discussion. About 15 attended, with over 50 percent being growers and 13 percent being extension educators. Potato clones NY138 (suitable for chip and possible table stock) and NY140 (table stock) both have some good resistance for pink rot. From laboratory studies,both Yukon Gem (table stock) and Missaukee(chip stock) showed some useful resistance to pink rot. We established 6 excellent farmer-collaborations with the mustard, bio-fumigant project. Collaboration with Dale Gies was also fostered through this project, which is likely to lead to future studies with us and other researchers at Cornell. Educational material was e-mailed to extension educators and growers involved in the project on a regular basis. A copy of Dale Gies power point presentation was e-mailed to growers involved in the project, but had not been able to attend. PARTICIPANTS: Helen Griffiths was the PI on this project and responsible for identifying cultivars and clones. She established the field trial at Freeville, organized the inoculation and communicated with the farm manager with regards to management during the season. She was responsible for harvesting and organizing storage of the potatoes from the trial. She was responsible for identifying growers to participate in the on-farm mustard biofumigant study. She obtained the seed for the 6 on farm sites, and took it to the various sites and assisted with the seeding. As many of the participating growers had little experience with growing the Caliente, regular communication via telephone and e-mail was necessary with several of them and with Carl Albers (Cornell Co-operative extension, Steuben county). Griffiths trained and supervised a summer student to assist with some of the work. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience is primarily potato growers, though with the mustard rotations,it extends to include strawberry and mixed vegetable growers. The seminar and round table discussion with Dale Gies from High Performance Seed attracted a number of growers, and included a strawberry grower and mixed vegetable producers. One of the growers said that it had been a very useful meeting and demystified the use of brassicas as biofumigants. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The two clones from the Cornell potato breeding program NY138 (chip stock and possibly table stock) and NY140 (table stock), both were shown to have good resistance. Yukon Gem (table stock) from the Tri-State breeding program also showed good level of resistance to pink rot. This cultivar is reported to also have good resistance to late blight. The hope that Red Cloud would be a replacement red skinned table stock cultivar for the very pink rot susceptible Red La Soda was not realized. Red Cloud gave pretty tubers, but the yield was poor and they were as susceptible to pink rot as Red La Soda. As there is a need for a red skinned table stock cultivar with good pink rot resistance, we will continue our search even though if one is identified the horticultural aspects for our region will not be determined prior to the end of this grant. From laboratory evaluations two cultivars showed good pink rot resistance; Missaukee from the Michigan State breeding program (suitable for chip stock) and Maine Stay (table stock). These cultivars and clones along with some yet to be identified will go into next seasons work, in which they are evaluated in on-farm studies for horticultural traits and cooking quality. The Caliente mustards 199 and 61 both produced good to excellent biomass at all farm sites. The ability of the Caliente Nemat (arugula) to overwinter is currently being tested, and in the Spring we will know how it survived in the various locations in the state. The value of one rotation of the Caliente mustard and Nemat for controlling the various soil disease issues (pink rot, powdery scab, common scab, Rhizoctonia, wireworms and nematodes) will be determined at potato harvest in Fall 2010.

Publications

• No publications reported this period