Washing potato tubers grown in sandy loam soils completely decontaminates them from Globodera cysts

Abstract

Potato cyst nematodes (PCN), Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis, are quarantine organisms that can severely affect quality and quantity of potato production and can easily be disseminated on infested tubers and in soil debris adhering to tubers. Because eradication of PCN from a field is virtually impossible, decontamination of tubers is considered a prerequisite for marketing potatoes for any purpose. We demonstrated that a procedure combining washing and brushing of tubers successfully removed all PCN cysts from tubers of the potato cultivars Lizeta and Marfona produced in sandy loam soils severely infested with PCN. This would allow subsequent transportation and use of potato tubers without the risk of spreading nematode cysts.