DRY-ROT DISEASE OF THE POTATO

A laboratory method is described in which a modified hypodermic syringe is used to inoculate potato tubers with Fusarium caeruleum. This injection method gives consistent results and permits reliable assessments of factors such as varietal susceptibility.
The occurrence of arrested lesions is noted.
Suspensions of very high spore concentration or of spores already germinated did not greatly increase the amount of dry rot above that given by the standard too spores per inoculation, provided that spore germination was adequate.
The size of tuber and site of inoculation were found to have a considerable effect upon the results of inoculation experiments, large tubers being more susceptible than small ones and the heel end being more susceptible than the rose end. The necessity for uniformity of material used in inoculation experiments is emphasized.