Potato Diagnosis

[Stanbob]

I'm new so hello everyone.

My potato's started off looking really well, many poeple commented about how mine looked better than theirs. All thats changed now! A few weeks a go i noticed brown spots on the leaves, at the time i thought it was probably damage from heavy rain. However, they have just got worse, there is very little top and the yeild is also pretty poor. I should also add i have been lapse on the watering so i wonder if thats contributed to the issue (We were busy renovating the house and gardening took an back seat for a few months)

I have attached a photo which i hope someone can provide a diagnosis.

Could it be Magnesium defficiency or possibly canker looking at these links:

Alternaria Canker - Tomato Leaf Disorders - Tomato Problem Solver | Aggie Horticulture

or No. 161 here

Color Pictures of Mineral Deficiencies in Potato Plants

thanks

[Bigmallly]

Welcome to the vine Stanbob, I too have neglected watering my spuds but fortunately they look very healthy so am inclined to think it is not down to under watering but I may be wrong. Hold fire a while, we have our own tattie expert who hopefully will see this thread and give advice.

[OllieMartin]

I'd guess at magnesium deficiency, but I'd expect there to be more yellow on the leaves rather than mainly brown.

[FB.]

Stanbob

You don't mention your location, which could be very useful to help, since certain problems are associated with certain parts of the UK or certain climates.

To my eyes, it looks like a mild case of potato blight, or how blight sometimes manifests on varieties with some resistance.
To my eyes, it certainly looks more like a fungal infection (blight, Alternaria etc) than a nutrient deficiency.

But since I live in a dry area and only grow potato varieties with good blight resistance (and I don't grow tomatoes at all), so I don't have much experience of severe blight.

[Stanbob]

Stanbob

You don't mention your location, which could be very useful to help, since certain problems are associated with certain parts of the UK or certain climates.

To my eyes, it looks like a mild case of potato blight, or how blight sometimes manifests on varieties with some resistance.
To my eyes, it certainly looks more like a fungal infection (blight, Alternaria etc) than a nutrient deficiency.

But since I live in a dry area and only grow potato varieties with good blight resistance (and I don't grow tomatoes at all), so I don't have much experience of severe blight.

I'm in Lincolnshire, not far from Market Rasen. The variety is Arran Pilot.
We bought this house last year so this is the 2nd time i have grown tates here. Last year i got blight which i think spread from a suspect outdoor tomato plant. This year's tates are approx 10 foot away from where last years were planted. Thinking about it, remembering where the tomato plant was and how the blight drifted to the tates last year my 2010 crop is downwind. Is it likely the fungus drifted on to the soil last year and survived there until now? Is there anything else i can do to decide whether it's blight or nutrient deficiency?

I have put up a couple more photo's. The single plant is about the worst case.

[Two_Sheds]

I'm in Lincolnshire, not far from Market Rasen.

You can put that into your profile, so we don't have to keep asking you

My spuds have been very poor too: the foliage turned yellow, had brown speckles, collapsed and then died. When dug up, there were hardly any spuds at all.

It's the prolonged drought (we haven't had decent rain since early April)

Your leaves are crispy right? Blight makes them soft, wet and rotten

[FB.]

I'm in Lincolnshire, not far from Market Rasen. The variety is Arran Pilot.
We bought this house last year so this is the 2nd time i have grown tates here. Last year i got blight which i think spread from a suspect outdoor tomato plant. This year's tates are approx 10 foot away from where last years were planted. Thinking about it, remembering where the tomato plant was and how the blight drifted to the tates last year my 2010 crop is downwind. Is it likely the fungus drifted on to the soil last year and survived there until now? Is there anything else i can do to decide whether it's blight or nutrient deficiency?

I have put up a couple more photo's. The single plant is about the worst case.

Quite possibly you have a reinfection of blight, but I wouldn't panic just yet - it's not too severe and it's too late to do anything about it anyway.
Blight spores (and most other fungal spores) will survive from one season to the next in the environment and are capable of travelling long distances when blown by the wind.
According to my notes, Arran Pilot doesn't have much tolerance of blight.

I honestly don't think that it's a nutrient problem.
I think that it is some kind of fungal disease - possibly blight.

[Stanbob]

OK, Thanks everyone.

Two Sheds- They are crispy yes.

Think i will just have to accept they are going to be poor this year.

[nilling]

I have watered my spuds over the last month but they are still looking poorly - rust spots, leaves yellowing

I hope it's not blight