a question for the potato experts

[einstein]

My first lifted

rocket have split and cracked . Can anyone explain why

 

[Kidds]

Not an expert but offering my guess of frost damage.

 

[farmerblob]

Hi looks like virus to me

 

[chipchap]

Stress of any sort will cause tubers to stop growing. Then when they grow again they split open.
Frost, water logging, virus, take your pick.

 

[Spud]

My first lifted

rocket have split and cracked . Can anyone explain why

Were they planted into moisture, dried out then had a proper soaking?

Can you wash them up and take some more pics? I'm guessing Rhizoctonia brought on by cold wet conditions.

Virus in the seed very much a possibility too.

 

[Hjwise]

No expert, but seen that happen when going from too dry to too wet in a short period of time

 

[einstein]

thanks everyone. theyre pot grown inside a poly tunnel. definately not frost as the foliage has been fine through april.
The wet and dry scenario is a possibility. Just hope theyre not all like that.

 

[Flat 10]

From some reading glyphosate on parent tubers?

 

[CORK]

Looks like they went from very dry to very wet in a short amount of time (they swell too quickly for the tuber to adjust). The same thing can happen to tomatoes.

As Spud says, there is a look of rhizoctonia in the scars. Rhizoctonia would show as a kind of a brown netting on the skin of the tuber.

 

[Bogweevil]

My first lifted

rocket have split and cracked . Can anyone explain why

My first lifted

rocket have split and cracked . Can anyone explain why

Stop start growing conditions, I would guess these are in pots in your greenhouse so perhaps you need to check your watering regime and also your min-max thermometer readings during the growing period.

Well done for getting tubers by mid May in Rutland in a cold Spring.

thanks everyone. theyre pot grown inside a poly tunnel. definately not frost as the foliage has been fine through april.
The wet and dry scenario is a possibility. Just hope theyre not all like that.

Try bigger pots so the water levels don't fluctuate so much and finer textured potting compost that holds more water.

 

[einstein]

another pic. it seems like it was just the rocket as the swift are looking good.
Thanks for your suggestions ..the pots are either 5 or 7 or 10 litre .
There growing in coir which has a had a crop before,not pots though.
Watering is fiddly,i do have automatic irrigation but im as worried about getting them too wet as too dry.
Will overwatering be bad for them? the coir is very freedraining and the pots have lots of drainage holes.
Still trying to find the best varietys for pots...it wont be rocket or swift though!!

 

[Bogweevil]

10l ought to be ok for one seed tuber, 5 or 7 would be more challenging to avoid intermittent moisture stress. Water to keep moist, never soggy. If coir too free draining consider adding some John Innes soil based potting compost to hold some more water - say 10% by volume. JI will also buffer against nutrient fluctuations. Check your min-max thermometer and ventilate/shade to keep temps 15-25C if possible.

 

[jon9000]

Seed virus.... .. do the tops look funny

 

[jon9000]

Or could of been grown in contaminated land from excess corn herbicides

 

[Spud]

Or could of been grown in contaminated land from excess corn herbicides

Good point Jon.

@einstein did those spuds receive any muck? Cow muck from cows fed grass treated with Forefront can cause issues like that

 

[dave6470]

Good point Jon.

@einstein did those spuds receive any muck? Cow muck from cows fed grass treated with Forefront can cause issues like that

yep seen that in a crop i had two years ago field owner spread one load of dung along one side of field before I planted everything planted there came out like that