Potato Problems - uneven growth and tunneld roots

[Beetroot Bob]

Having big problems with my spuds this year having never had any problems in the past.
I've got very uneven growth along the row some plants only a few inches high others 2' or more. I stuck a fork under some tonight and found tine white maggots around some tubers but no tunneling on the tubers. the stems though were tunneled and almost split in two but only below ground like a major case of cabbage root fly but bigger tunnels.

Anybody know what it could be?

[Martin H]

Could they have been ant larvae? I have occasionally had problems in dry seasons where ants have made their nest in a potato row; their tunnelling does disturb the roots and slow the growth down.

If this is it, you'd see lots of ants scurrying around them, obviously.

[Beetroot Bob]

thanks but it's not ants. The maggots a much smaller. they're tiny but the tunneling in the root/underground stem is quite large - like 50% of stem big

[solway cropper]

wireworms, eelworms? a pic would help.

[Two_Sheds]

Wire worm are a major pest of potatoes in newly-worked ground. Cutworm cuts through stems. Slugs will have a chomp too after the initial damage is done.