Blemish of Tablestock Tubers
North Dakota and Minnesota are known for their red-skinned, white-fleshed potato varieties. Recent data shows an increase in consumption of red- and yellow-skinned potato varieties in the United States. One of the challenges of providing a high quality potato is to produce tubers free from blemishes because consumers will “buy with their eyes” as they naturally gravitate to tubers free from blemishes. Silver scurf disease is the most important cause of potato tuber blemish. It is most often caused by the fungal pathogen Helminthosporium solani, but in recent years black dot, caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum coccodes, has also become an important cause of blemish.