What to do if there are brown streaks inside the potato

Some diseases and damage to potatoes are completely invisible on the skin. It happens that when you cut a seemingly healthy tuber, you find that inside it is lined with brown, black or red spots and veins. It is almost impossible to cut out the marks completely and it is not known if such potatoes can be eaten at all.

From the article you will learn what these streaks mean, whether it is possible to eat potatoes with colored stripes and spots and how to avoid brown streaks and spots in the tubers.

Why are there colored streaks inside the potatoes?

More often brown stripes run closer to the edge around the circumference of the tubers... They may be mild in the early stages of the disease. As the infection progresses, the streaks become more visible. When placed in water or when pressed, they release a pale yellow mucus. This disease is bacterial and is called ring rot.

Important! The interior of a crop infected with ring rot can rot completely during storage.

Fine veins and spots up to 2 cm long from brownish brown to black are caused by glandular spot. They are located closer to the center or scattered over the entire surface. During storage, the disease does not develop.

There are red streaks, sometimes bluish or purple... Such coloration of the pulp is the norm, it is typical for varieties with colored peels.

Reasons for the appearance of veins inside potatoes

Ring rot has two forms - pitted rot and ring rot itself... Pit rot is the primary form of the disease. It appears 5-6 months after storage. Infection occurs from diseased tubers. The spread of the disease is facilitated by indoor conditions - a temperature of + 20 ° C or more and high humidity.

Symptoms of the lesion - small 2-3 mm yellow spots under the skin... It is difficult to notice them, for this reason infected tubers are often used for planting. Bushes with ring rot grow from them. With a weak infection, germination of shoots will be normal, no signs of disease will appear until flowering. After harvest, if diseased tubers are not found, bacteria will continue to infect healthy potatoes. A constant cycle is formed - infection occurs from already infected tubers.

Important! The infection is transmitted through a garden tool. Treat it with antibacterial agents before and after digging up the vegetable.

External factors influence the occurrence of glandular spot:

1. Weather. Rust appears if the summer was hot, dry. Even additional watering at a regular temperature of + 30 ° C and above does not help.
2. Soil composition. It should not contain excess iron and aluminum, which increase the activity of oxidative enzymes. Lack of phosphorus and potassium is also bad.

Most often, glandular spot appears on potatoes grown in sandy soils.

But red, purple and bluish streaks are not a disease... Their appearance is due to the fact that the coloring pigment spreads through the tuber both inside and outside. So don't worry if you've planted colored varieties and found stripes or solid colors in the cut.

It can be useful:

Diseases of potato tops: description and treatment

What to do if potatoes rot in the ground

How to deal with scab on potatoes

Is it possible to eat such potatoes

Potatoes affected by ring rot should not be eaten... Even if you cut off the infected parts. And even if the potatoes are heat treated. The bacteria that cause rot can enter the body and cause poisoning, harm the digestive organs and lead to other unpleasant consequences.

Rust on potatoes is not that dangerous... This is a non-infectious disease that will not cause much harm to the body. You can eat such tubers, but their taste is worse. In addition, spots and veins look unappetizing, and cutting them all out is problematic.

Important! In tubers affected by glandular spot, the chemical composition and nutritional value change - they contain less starch and ascorbic acid.

Crop with colored veins can be safely eaten... These varieties are rich in antioxidants, with carotenoids and anthocyanins present in reds. It is best to puree them, bake and boil with the peel. They are worse for soup and frying, since they crumble after prolonged heat treatment.

What to do if veins are found - methods of struggle

It is impossible to save streaked tubers... And if the rust does not pass on to the subsequent harvest and does not infect healthy tubers, then ring rot is extremely dangerous in this regard. A diseased tops and a crop grow from a diseased tuber. And then the bacteria infect neighboring healthy bushes, as well as potatoes during storage.

A specific way to combat rot has not yet been established. Preventive measures are critical.

Folk

In the early stages of illness, try to do without using heavy chemical artillery. Try the following techniques.

With ring rot will help:

1. Processing with a solution of potassium permanganate. The disinfecting properties of the solution neutralize some of the bacteria. Prepare it in a proportion of 1 g per 10 liters of water. Spray tubers and prepared soil before planting.
2. Formalin. Another disinfectant. Processing is carried out before laying potatoes for storage. For 1 sq. m requires 20 ml of a 40% formaldehyde solution. The room is treated and closed for 12 hours, then ventilated.
3. Quarantine. Inspect your potato tops regularly. Dig up and burn the affected bushes outside the site.

With glandular spot:

1. Additional watering. If it is a dry hot summer, water the potatoes more often, do not allow the soil to dry out.
2. Special varieties. If the soil in your area is sandy, choose a more resistant and suitable variety.

Chemical

If the disease progresses, use chemicals... Chemical protection has established itself as an effective and versatile method.

With ring rot before planting and then before harvesting for storage, the tubers are processed at choice:

• fungicides "Maxim", "Quadris";
• insecticides of the general spectrum of action "Sirocco", "Tanrek", "Borey Neo";
• pesticide "TMTD".

In case of glandular spot, it is not necessary to disinfect tubers with rust... It is more important to take care of the quality of the soil and proper nutrition of the plants.

Biological

Use bacterial preparations to control pests: "Gamair", "Entobacterin", "Dendrobacillin".

Although pests do not directly affect the formation of veins, they cause mechanical damage to the tops and tubers - the plants become more vulnerable to bacterial attack.

Fertilizers

Mineral enrichment stimulates plant development, accelerates growth and increases productivity, and also causes the death of bacteria and destroys some pests.

Ring rot

In the fight against it, not only antibacterial agents will help... It is also necessary to regularly saturate the soil with potash and nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Potassium increases the resistance of potatoes to diseases, strengthens the root system and enhances the effect of nitrogen fertilizers.Nitrogen is needed to stimulate the growth of shoots and leaves, the absorption of nutrients.

Glandular spot

Enrich the soil with fertilizers:

1. Nitrogen. On sandy soils, this is done in the spring to prevent washout. For potatoes, nitrate (potassium, sodium, ammonia), urea (carbamide) are suitable.
2. Phosphoric. They are introduced in the fall, by the spring the compounds will become easily digestible. Superphosphate, double superphosphate is suitable. For acidic soils, phosphate rock is used.

Liming works effectively against rust... This reduces the acidity of the soil, enriches it with magnesium, calcium and other trace elements. The looseness of the soil also increases - moisture will be better absorbed and retained. They use chalk powder, shale and peat ash, belite and dolomite flour, etc.

Read also:

The best recipes for foliar top dressing of potatoes

Potato sulfitation and what is it for

Others

Use in conjunction with the methods described above.

With ring rot:

• tops are mowed 7-10 days before digging up to reduce the risk of infection;
• before sowing, the tubers are dried in the sun for two days. It is recommended to do the same before storing.

You can fight streaks and stains on potatoes by planting siderates... To combat pathogenic organisms and improve the condition of the soil, legumes are suitable: peas, beans, beans, clover, cereals, mustard and radish, sunflower, etc. Plants are planted or sown before winter. In the spring, seedlings are mowed and potatoes are planted.

Measures to prevent the appearance of streaks

With ring rot:

1. Purchase seed material only from reliable suppliers. If you use your own, then carefully sort the potatoes before planting, inspect for diseases.
2. After digging, sort out damaged tubers. They are most susceptible to infection.
3. Treat inventory before and after use to keep bacteria free.
4. Dry the potatoes in the sun before planting.
5. Observe storage conditions. Decontaminate the room before storage.
6. Maintain a constant temperature. Ventilation must be good so that there is no condensation that can cause mold.

With glandular spot:

1. Harvest potatoes in dry, sunny weather.
2. Dry tubers before storage in a dry, well ventilated room without light sources.
3. Whole undamaged tubers are stored, with a layer of no more than 1 m.
4. Observe constant storage conditions - in a dark place at a temperature of 2-3 ° С, humidity - 80-90%.

Tips & Tricks

If possible, observe the crop rotation on the site. It is undesirable to plant the same vegetable crop in some area every year... Constant sowing of one plant depletes the soil and reduces fertility. Bacterial contamination only makes the situation worse. Let the site rest for 1 to 2 years. At this time, disinfect the soil and fertilize it.

Early varieties are more susceptible to ring rot infestations... Choose medium or late.

Regular weeding, destruction of pests and the affected bushes will benefit the potatoes.

To protect the vegetable from disease, start treatment with drugs at the first signs of disease... In dry weather, carry out the procedure every 14 days, in rainy weather every week or even more often. Without treatment, infections can destroy 40-50% of the crop.

It is useful to know how things are with plant diseases in neighbors. If the sites are located nearby, contamination of your vegetable crops is possible.

Conclusion

Now you know that red-veined potatoes are safe to cook and eat. But tubers with dark stripes are not eaten - this is an infection, the pathogens of which can cause poisoning of the body and other troubles if ingested.

With our tips for prevention and treatment, you can easily deal with defects in tubers.