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Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Vegetable > Potato > Inside of tuber discolored

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Potato > Tuber > Inside of tuber discolored

1 of 5
  • Late Blight 1
  • Late Blight 2
  • Late Blight 3

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
2 of 5
  • Brown Center / Hollow Heart 1

Brown Center / Hollow Heart

3 of 5
  • Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV) 1
  • Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV) 2
  • Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV) 3

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)
4 of 5
  • Verticillium Wilt 1
  • Verticillium Wilt 2
  • Verticillium Wilt 3

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
5 of 5
  • Zebra Chip 1
  • Zebra Chip 2
  • Zebra Chip 3

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

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