Potatoes Small White Spots – Lenticels
In wet years many growers are concerned when harvesting to find white spots on their potatoes. Often they fear that some disease has struck their potatoes and wonder if the crop is edible.
Small White Spots on Potatoes
Happily these small white spots on potatoes are not a reason for great concern. They are actually swollen lenticels caused by too much water.
Lenticels are minute organs used by the tuber to breathe but in waterlogged soils they become blocked and swell up. Normally you don’t see them at all, but you can see them when swollen (see photo above).
The potatoes are perfectly edible despite the white spots looking like a bad dose of potato acne! It’s not all good news though. The swollen lenticels means the potato is more susceptible to soft rot and, at best, you’ll need to use quickly and check frequently for rot in store.
It’s a fairly unusual problem until we get a really wet year and the potatoes are sitting in water but if it happens frequently to your crop then you need to consider improving drainage or raised beds taking the roots above the water table.
Potato Stem Rot
Potato stem rot is similar to blight in appearance, thankfully rare
Potato growers are advised to cut down the stems immediately, remove every piece of the plant, dry it and then burn it. Do not compost or dispose of the haulm in council green bins to avoid spreading the disease
The potatoes in the ground will be unaffected and may be left there for a few weeks prior to harvesting
Potato Growing Articles
- Growing Potatoes Overview – How to Grow Potatoes Guide
- How Many Seed Potatoes are Needed
- Potato Flowers, Fruits, Seeds & Breeding
- Growing Potatoes – Standard Traditional Method
- Growing Potatoes Under Straw Mulch
- Growing Potatoes Under Black Plastic (Polythene) Sheet
- Potato Growing in Raised Beds & Ridge Planting Potatoes
- Growing Potatoes in a Barrel – Patio Growing Potatoes
- Growing Potatoes in Bags | Greenhouse Potatoes
- Second Crop Autumn Planted Christmas New Potatoes
- Can you chit supermarket potatoes?
- Potato Varieties for Flavour -Boiled Baked Roasted Mashed
- Potato Fertiliser Program Program & (NPK) Requirements
- Potato Blight Cause, Identification. Prevention, Treatment Potato Blight
- Wireworm in Potatoes Cause Identification Prevention Control Potato Wireworm
- Eelworm Potato Cyst Nematode – Control Potato Eelworm
- Dry Rot in Potatoes Cause Identification Prevention Control of Potato Dry Rot
- Potato Scab – Common Scab in Potatoes
- Potato Scab – Powdery Scab in Potatoes
- Hollow Heart, Splitting & Spraing Potatoes
- White Spots on Potatoes Lenticels & Potato Stem Rot
See Also:
- Growing Potatoes for Show, Introduction & Best Varieties
- Growing Potatoes for Show, Cultivation of Show Potatoes
- Growing Potatoes for Show Harvest & Showing Potatoes
