Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Vegetable > Potato > Inside of tuber discolored
Potato > Tuber > Inside of tuber discolored
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Late Blight
Phytophthora infestans
- Irregular sunken, dull brown to purple lesions around the eyes on potato tubers
- Inside of potato tuber has a reddish-brown dry rot
- Large irregular olive to brown leaf spots that are not restricted by leaf veins
- In wet weather, leaves, stems and petioles rapidly turn brown and shrivel
- Powdery white fungal growth can be seen on infected tissue in wet weather
- More prevalent in years of cool and wet weather
- More information on managing plant diseases in the home garden
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Brown Center / Hollow Heart
- An irregular cavity forms in the center of the tuber
- Tissue around the cavity may be white or brown
- Common with high moisture and unbalanced fertility
- More information on Brown Center / Hollow Heart
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Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV)
- Leaves are cupped upward and yellow (white potato) or reddish (red potato)
- Leaves become leathery and dry as infection progresses
- Plants are stunted
- Brown to black flecks can be seen in a net like pattern when the tuber is cut open
- More information on Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV)
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Verticillium Wilt
Verticillium spp.
- Leaves turn yellow then brown and wilted, stems remain erect
- Symptoms are often seen on one or a few stems but not the entire plant
- Often only random plants scattered in the field are affected
- If the stem is cut near the soil line, brown streaks or rings can be seen just under the skin
- Dark brown to black streaks or rings can be seen in the tuber flesh if cut on the stem end
- More information on Verticillium Wilt
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Zebra Chip
Candidatus Liberibacter spp.
- Aerial tubers form from main stem
- Leaves may be purple or yellow, appear scorched, and wilt
- Inside of potato is a mottled brown
- Vectored by the potato psyllid
- Currently not found in MN. If suspected, report it to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture at the "Arrest the Pest" Hotline: 651-201-6684 (metro) or 1-800-545-6684 (Greater Minnesota)
- More information on Zebra Chip
