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PotatoScabfactsheet

Potatoscabisacommontuberdiseasethatoccursthroughoutthepotatogrowingregionsoftheworld.
Althoughscabdoesnotusuallyaffecttotalyields,significanteconomiclossesresultfromreduced
marketabilityofthetubers.Economiclossesaregreatestwhentubersintendedfortablestockare
infected,sinceappearanceisimportantforthismarket.Whilesuperficialscablesionsdonotgreatly
affectthemarketabilityofprocessingpotatoes,deeppittedlesions,however,doincreasepeelinglosses
anddetractfromtheappearanceoftheprocessedproduct.Theoccurrenceofscabanditsseverityvaries
byseasonandfromfieldtofield.Croppinghistory,soilmoisture,andsoiltexturearelargelyresponsible
forthisvariability.Potatoscablesionscanbeconfusedwithpowderyscab,adiseasecausedbyan
entirelydifferentpathogen,thefungusSpongosporasubterranea(seeCornellCooperativeExtension
InformationBulletin205:DetectionofPotatoTuberDiseasesandDefects).
SymptomsandSigns
Potatoscablesionsarequitevariableanddistinctionshavebeenmadebetweenrusset(superficialcorky
tissue),erumpent(araisedcorkyarea),andpitted(ashallowtodeephole)scabasdepictedinfigures1,
2,and3.Allofthesecanbecausedbythesamepathogen,Streptomycesscabieshowever,thetypeof
lesionprobablyisdeterminedbyhostresistance,aggressivenessofthepathogenstrain,timeofinfection,
andenvironmentalconditions.
Individualscablesionsarecircularbutmaycoalesceintolargescabbyareas.Insectsmaybeinvolvedin
creatingdeeppittedlesions.Theterm"commonscab"generallyreferstotheresponseofthediseaseto
soilpH.CommonscabiscontrolledorgreatlysuppressedatsoilpHlevelsof5.2orlower.Commonscab
iswidespreadandiscausedbyS.scabies."Acidscab"seemstohaveamorelimiteddistribution,buthas
beenfoundinseveralstatesintheNortheast.ThisdiseaseoccursinsoilsbelowpH5.2,aswellasat
higherlevels.Thecausalagent,S.acidiscabies,iscloselyrelatedtothecommonscabpathogenandcan
growinsoilsaslowaspH4.0.Acidscabiscontrolledbycroprotation,butcanbeaproblemwhenseed
isproducedincontaminatedsoils.Acidscablesionsaresimilar,ifnotidentical,tothosecaused
byS.scabies.
ClickonPhotoforMagnification(Thisfeatureisnotcurrentlyavailable)

DiseaseCycle
MostifnotallpotatosoilshavearesidentpopulationofS.scabieswhichwillincreasewithsuccessive
potatoorotherhostcrops.Scabsusceptiblepotatovarietiesappeartoincreasesoilpopulationsfaster
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PotatoScabfactsheet

thanscabresistantvarieties.Rotationwithgrainsorothernonhostseventuallyreducesbutdoesnot
eliminatetheS.scabiespopulation.Thispathogenisagoodsaprophyteandprobablyreproducestosome
extentonorganicmaterialinthesoil.Giventherightenvironmentalconditionsandascabsusceptible
potatovariety,scabcanoccurinafieldthathasbeenoutofpotatoesforseveralyears.
S.scabiesinfectsyoungdevelopingtubersthroughthelenticelsandoccasionallythroughwounds.Initial
infectionsresultinsuperficialreddishbrownspotsonthesurfaceoftubers.Asthetubersgrow,lesions
expand,becomingcorkyandnecrotic.Thepathogensporulatesinthelesion,andsomeofthesespores
areshedintothesoilorreinfestsoilwhencullpotatoesareleftinthefield.Thepathogensurvivesin
lesionsontubersinstorage,butthediseasedoesnotspreadorincreaseinseverity.Inoculumfrom
infectedseedtuberscanproducediseaseonprogenytubersthenextseason.
ThediseasecycleofS.acidiscabiesissimilartothatofS.scabies,buttheacidscabpathogendoesnot
surviveinsoilaswellascommonscab.Inoculumonseedtubers,eventhosewithoutvisiblelesions,
seemstobeimportantindiseaseoutbreaksinNewYork.
FactorsInfluencingDiseaseSeverity
Varietalresistance.Thoughthemechanismofresistancetoscabisnotwellunderstood,varieties
withdifferentlevelsofresistancehavebeenidentifiedthroughfieldscreeningprograms.Using
resistantvarietiesisaneffectivetoolformanagementofscab.Resistantvarietiesarenotimmune,
however,andwillbecomeinfectedgivenhighinoculumdensitiesandfavorableenvironmental
conditions.Thelimitedinformationavailableindicatesthatthereisagoodcorrelationbetween
resistancetocommonscabandtoacidscabamongpotatovarieties.Consultpotatodiseasecontrol
recommendationsforcurrentinformationonpotatovarietieswithresistancetoscab.
Soilacidity.SeverityofcommonscabissignificantlyreducedinsoilswithpHlevelsof5.2and
below,butlossescanrapidlyincreasewithsmallincreasesinpHabove5.2.Potatoesare
commonlygrowninsoilswithapHof5.0to5.2forcontrolofcommonscab.As
mentioned,S.acidiscabies("acidscab")causesscabinlowpHsoils.Thisspeciesdoesnot
competewellwithothersoilbornemicrobes,however,andcanusuallybecontrolledwithseed
treatmentsandcroprotation.
WhilelowpHsoilsprovidegoodcontrolofcommonscab,therearedisadvantagesassociatedwith
thismanagementstrategy.PlantnutrientsaremostavailableatsoilpHlevelsnear6.5.Sinceacid
soilsareunfavorableformostvegetableandfieldcrops,thenumberofthemthatcanbegrownin
rotationwithpotatoesislimited.MaintainingsoilsnearpH5.0reducesbothfertilizerefficiency
andminorelementavailability,andmayresultinphytotoxiclevelsofsomeminorelements.
PotatoesgrowninsoilsnearpH6.5producehigheryieldswithlessfertilizer.Lackofcroprotation
aggravatesmanypestproblems,especiallytheColoradopotatobeetle.
Soilmoisture.Soilmoistureduringtuberizationhasadramaticeffectoncommonscabinfection.
Maintainingsoilatmoisturelevelsabove0.4bars(nearfieldcapacity)duringthe2to6weeks
followingtuberinitiationwillinhibitinfectionbyS.scabies.Bacteriathatflourishathighsoil
moistureappeartooutcompeteS.scabiesonthetubersurface.However,maintaininghighsoil
moisturemaybedifficultinsomesoils,anditispossiblethatotherdiseaseproblemsmaybe
aggravatedbyexcessiveirrigation.
Soiltypeandsoilamendments.Lighttexturedsoilsandthosewithhighlevelsoforganicmatter
arefavorabletoscabinfection.Streptomycesaregenerallyinvolvedinthedecompositionofsoil
organicmatter,andthereforethoughttobestimulatedbyitspresence.Applyingmanuretopotato
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PotatoScabfactsheet

fieldscancauseanincreaseinscabinfection.Coarsetexturedsoilsareconducivetoscab,
probablybecauseoftheirmoistureholdingcapacitythus,gravellyorerodedareasoffieldsthat
tendtodryoutrapidlyareoftensitesofheavyscabinfection.
Croprotation.Croprotationreducestheinoculumlevelsinpotatofields,butS.scabiescan
surviveformanyyearsintheabsenceofpotato.Thismaybeduetosaprophyticactivityoran
abilityofS.scabiestoinfectotherplants.Infectionofseedlingsofmanyvegetablesandfleshy
rootsofbeet,cabbage,carrot,radish,spinach,turnipsandotherplantshasbeenreported.Rotation
withsmallgrains,corn,oralfalfaappearstoreducediseaseinsubsequentpotatocrops.Redclover,
however,stimulatesproblemswithcommonscabandshouldnotbeusedinfieldswherescabhas
beenaproblem.S.acidiscabiesappearstohaveahostrangesimilartothatofS.scabiesbutdoes
notsurvivewellinthepresenceofnonhostcrops.
RecommendedDiseasecontrolStrategies
1.Useresistantvarietiesinfieldswherescabisaproblem
2.Usescabfreeseedandseedtreatmentstopreventintroductionofthepathogenintofields.Seed
treatmentsdonoteliminatethepathogenbutwillprovidesomesuppressionofdisease.Consultcurrent
potatodiseasecontrolrecommendationsforappropriateseedtreatments.
3.Rotateheavilyinfestedfieldsawayfrompotatoesandalternatehostssuchasradish,beets,andcarrots.
Usesmallgrains,corn,oralfalfainrotationsavoidredclover.
4.MaintainsoilpHlevelsbetween5.0and5.2byusingacidproducingfertilizerssuchasammonium
sulphate.Avoidorlimittheuseofsuchalkalineproducingamendmentsaslimeandmanure.
5.Avoidmoisturestressduringthe2to6weeksfollowingtuberization.

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