Brown Rot Potato Disease

Brown rot, caused by the bacterium Ralstonia solanacearu, is a serious bacterial potato disease, otherwise referred to as bacterial wilt, which is not established in the UK.
 

Common Signs and Symptoms of Brown Rot

Brown rot affects the potato plant’s vascular system and systemically spreads to progency, causing the vascular ring of infected potatoes to go brown, starting from the heel end.  This eventually leads to the whole tuber turning brown and rotten.

 

Common Causes and Conditions of Black Dot

Almost all brown rot outbreaks in Northern Europe are believed to have come from contaminated water courses, usually as a result of irrigation or flooding.

 

Control of Brown Rot

Cultural and Methods:
Brown rot can be prevented by the following steps:

Only planting classified seed – all classified seed potatoes produced in the EC must have been derived from material found free from the disease.

Do not irrigate with contaminated water – consult your local plant health inspector for advice on any locally contaminated watercourses and options for safe irrigation practices.

Good hygiene – make sure that all machinery and equipment including containers, vehicles and storage facilities used during potato production are
regularly cleaned and disinfected.