The disease often spreads rapidly in apparently healthy tubers after a few weeks of storage, which manifests itself in a silver-grey, mottled appearance of the peel and leads to a reduction in quality. Much more unpleasant, however, is the fact that seeds that are heavily infested with silver scab germinate much more poorly and sometimes do not sprout at all if the infestation is severe. It is therefore important, on the one hand, to know the variety-specific susceptibility and, on the other hand, to eliminate those factors that are responsible for the transmission and rapid spread of silver scab.
This project includes a combination of different studies on the subject of silver scurf, to which each project partner contributes their own specific part. The cooperation partner will carry out studies on the occurrence of silver scurf in the individual varieties in the variety trials and examine the pathotypes of silver scurf found in the crop cultivation trials.
On the one hand, BAL Gumpenstein will conduct a crop cultivation trial with different varieties with treated and untreated seeds - with the support of the leading ones Plant protection products companies - carry out, with the greatest attention being paid to the quality of the tubers at the time of harvest. A storage trial should also be carried out by a farmer who also produces potato seeds. Careful observation of the stored tubers over the winter months and documentation of the storage conditions will attempt to bring the problem of silver scab under control.