Powdery scab - project update

While sometimes regarded as a southern disease, the devastating pathogen, powdery scab, has been detected from Queensland to South Australia, and even parts of Western Australia. Annual losses are estimated to top $13.4 million annually. However, incidence varies hugely by cultivar and area, raising the question – WHY?

Professor Calum Wilson from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) is a world leader when it comes to managing Spongospora subterranea, the cause of powdery scab. The report on his 3-year Hort Innovation project — Mechanisms and manipulation of resistance to powdery scab in potato roots — was given at the R&D forum in Ballarat in 2022.

In Issue 07 of PotatoLink magazine, Jenny Ekman writes a comprehensive article bases on Professor Wilson’s report.