Powdery scab is a devastating pathogen affecting potato growers of Australia causing annual losses estimated to top $13.4 million annually. In issue 07 of PotatoLink magazine, Prof Calum Wilson from Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture reports on his 3-year project — Mechanisms and manipulation or resistance to powdery scab in potato roots.

Rhizoctonia Solani is a fungal pathogen comprised of many species and strains that can cause diseases in vegetable crops such as damping off, root and stem rots, and sometimes leaf blighting or leaf spots. This Soil Wealth & Integrated Crop Protection factsheet outlines the how the pathogen survives, spreads and infects plants.

Developed by SARDI (South Australian Research and Development Institute), PREDICTA Pt is a commercial DNA testing service that can identify which pathogens are in the soil or skin of seed tubers.

In Issue 05 of PotatoLink magazine, Ryan Hall and Jenny Ekman from the PotatoLink team report on PREDICTA Pt including a 5-year case study describing its use in monitoring powdery scab and rhizoctonia on a commercial farm.