Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Vegetable > Potato > Holes or cracks in tuber
Potato > Tuber > Holes or cracks in tuber
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Wireworms
Agriotus spp., Melanotus spp.
- Wireworms burrow into and feed on the potato tuber
- Larvae are thin, shiny, segmented , yellow to reddish-brown color, and approximately 1/4 to 1 ½ inch long
- More common in gardens that were previously in grass or sod
- Larvae can be found throughout the growing season
- Leaves show no damage
- More information on Wireworms
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Flea Beetles
Epitrix cucmeris, potato flea beetle and E. fuscula, eggplant flea beetle.
- Larvae feed on potato tuber causing shallow tunnels
- Adult feeding on leaves creates shallow pits and small, irregular holes giving it a "shot hole" appearance
- Heavy feeding may cause wilting
- Adults are small (1/16 to 1/8 inch long), black in color;
- Larvae are very small (
- Present throughout the growing season
- More information on Flea Beetle
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Fusarium Dry Rot
Fusarium sp.
- In storage, tuber develops a dry decayed cavity often with white fluffy fungal growth or pink to yellow spores inside
- Tuber surface has sunken dark spots, eventually becoming wrinkled in concentric rings
- Plant may not emerge, or may emerge small and weak
- More information on Fusarium Dry Rot
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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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Corky Ring Spot
Tobacco Rattle Virus
- Potato tubers can be cracked and malformed if infections comes in early
- Leaves may have no symptoms or have yellow rings, spots and arcs
- Stems may be mottled green and yellow
- Brown rings and arcs form on the skin and in the flesh of tubers
- More information on Corky Ring Spot
