Topic: Spuds looking a bit ill

[cobnut]

My spuds are looking a bit ill .. some of the leaves are drying/curling up and are now yellow.  Is this blight?  I've dug a few up to check and there's a few spuds in there but not much (bit early though so that might be ok).  Should I leave them in the ground or dig them up?

We had a setback a while ago due to an unexpected frost and it's been very dry here lately so not sure if that makes a difference.

[manicscousers]

some of ours are like that, the plants are finished and the skins are hardening off. What variety are they?

[davyw1]

There is a number of things it could be so a photo would help.
The first thing to do is have a look inside the curled leaves for any insects, aphids or small silver insects. Look down the the stems to for any discoloration. Have look at the yellowing leaves to see if there are any black or brown spots there.

It may be something as simple as lack of water or irregular watering due to the weather we have had or just the foliage dying back when the plant is ready to be dug up or more serious like Leaf Curl Virus.

Have a look here you may find your problem

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=leaf+curl+virus+images&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=pmT&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GHUDTozTBc6ChQfrud2MDg&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=842

[cobnut]

Thanks, I'll see about getting a photo done tomorrow when I go up there.  Some of the plants are half heathy and half yellow with only a few that are completely yellowing.

[cobnut]

Oops, forgot to add that I've no idea what variety they are .. I lost the packaging they came in and can't remember  :-[

[davyw1]

Have a look at the yellow leaves if the veins are still green then it is most likely Magnesium deficiency

[Robert_Brenchley]

Could they have caught a late frost? Some of mine are looking like that.

[artichoke]

A group of mine are looking ill too. Yellow leaves and general disappearance. Strangely, a plot right next to them, inches  away,  is green and thriving. According to my  doubtful notes, absolutely all of them are Charlotte.  Yes, they caught a frost, all of them, but have grown on through it.

Update when I have done some digging.

[claybasket]

my potatoes have yellow leaves, looked it up we have black leg,dig up one plant look at the stem that was in the soil if its black and thin you may have it.

[Alex133]

Most of my Charlotte yellowing badly with some brown blotches and have cut off top growth, don't want to dig up yet -did try one plant a few days ago and tubers were absolutely fine - hoping just mature as Desiree and Cara look fine, and Foremost just a bit scabby.

[Digeroo]

Some of my varieties are similar.  Home Guard are going, though have a good crop below, the seed potatoes are rotten but International Kidney more or less touching them are looking very bonny indeed plants four feet plus high.  Some volunteer Linzer Delicatesse have it but Vannessa alongside fine.  Seems some varieties are much more suspectible than others.  I have about 10 different varieties seems a good thing not to have a mono culture. 

Stems definitely black below soil level, no insects, no ants.

[delboy]

Several of us on our site bought Sante seed potatoes and all of us have been hit hard by blackleg, with some 30-40% losses.

As we didn't have blackleg in any of the past 7 years the seed spuds must, I assume, have been infected.

Interestingly the Potato Council informed us that many suppliers buy in seed potatoes from outside Scotland... In other words the quality of the seed potatoes can be very hit and miss and infected seed potatoes can find their merry way to our plots.

Ho hum

[Robert_Brenchley]

Blight from seed potatoes is a known problem in the States, but I don't know what the official standards are here.