Effect of Powdery Scab Root Galls on Yield of Potato

Powdery scab of potato, caused by Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea, has increased in incidence since 1981 to become a major concern for potato production in the Columbia Basin of south-central Washington and north-central Oregon. Disease symptoms consist of pustules on the tuber surface and wart-like galls on roots, stolons, and tubers. In the current study, the effect of powdery scab root galls on potato yield was quantified by comparing yields of cultivars susceptible and resistant to root galling grown on soil naturally infested and noninfested with the powdery scab pathogen. Potato tuber yields for the three yield components of yield per plant, number of tubers, and weight of tubers were not negatively affected by powdery scab galls on roots of Umatilla Russet and Shepody, as indicated by yield ratios ≥1.0 in 3 of 4 years, and also by regression analyses in all 3 years. Regression lines with a nonsignificant slope or slopes that significantly increased with gall index also indicated that root galls did not negatively affect yield. Mean tuber weight increased as gall index increased for Umatilla Russet in 2 of 3 years. Consequently, control tactics directed solely at reducing powdery scab galls on roots are not justified economically under conditions encountered in the Columbia Basin of Washington and Oregon states. Effort has been made to develop resistant cultivars and search for soil applied chemicals to reduce root galls.