Fungal diseases affecting potato storage A. Lees, The James Hutton Institute, UK

Fungal and oomycete pathogens responsible for causing potato storage diseases are both numerous and ubiquitous wherever potatoes are grown. The causal organisms and predominant regional diseases vary greatly in incidence, depending on factors including geography, climate, transmission routes and local management decisions. Total losses from fungal storage diseases are difficult to calculate, but probably occur in the range of 5-10% during storage, with additional losses caused in the field in subsequent growing seasons for affected seed crops and less frequently through total breakdown and loss in store. Losses can be particularly severe where fungal infections provide an entry point for secondary bacteria which can quickly decimate tuber stocks.