Potato Black Heart and Hollow Heart: What to Do? Detailed Prevention and Control Techniques

Potato black heart and hollow heart are physiological disorders of potatoes. Their specific causes, symptoms and prevention and control methods are as follows:

I. Potato tuber black heart disease

1. Disease symptoms In the center of the potato tuber, irregular patterns from blue to black appear, and in severe cases most or the entire tuber turns black.

2. Cause of the disease It is caused by a lack of oxygen inside the potato tuber. During potato storage, when the storage cellar is tightly sealed or the potato pile is too large; when the potato cultivation soil is compacted and not breathable, this disease occurs due to insufficient internal oxygen supply. The occurrence of black heart disease is related to temperature. Generally, at lower temperatures, symptoms develop more slowly and the disease is milder; at higher temperatures, the disease is more severe.

3. Prevention and control The main measures are to maintain good ventilation of the storage cellar or potato pile during storage; for potato cultivation, choose breathable, loose soil.

II. Potato tuber hollow heart disease

1. Disease symptoms Potato tuber hollow heart disease mostly occurs in the pith of the tuber. The hollow areas are mostly star-shaped and radial or slit-shaped, and sometimes several cavities can connect. The cavity walls are white or brown, with no external symptoms. Generally, large tubers are prone to hollow heart. Before hollow heart appears, the tissue becomes water-soaked or transparent.

2. Cause of the disease There are mainly two aspects: excessive watering during the potato tuber expansion period, or soil drought in the early stage of potato tuber expansion followed by sudden watering or rainfall in the later stage, causing the tubers to absorb a large amount of water and expand rapidly, while the dry matter in the tubers cannot be completely filled in, thus causing hollow heart. Insufficient potassium fertilizer application slows the transport of nutrients in potato tubers, so they cannot be filled in time, and hollow heart is also likely to occur.

3. Prevention and control During the potato tuber expansion period, watering should be uniform, suitable soil moisture should be maintained, and reasonable close planting, increased potassium fertilizer application, and attention to earthing up are also required.