Wet Rots of Potato in Storage

Potato tubers have been dug out of the ground and placed in dark storage for eating later in the fall and winter, but after just a few weeks the potatoes are soft, rotten, and emit a foul smell. What happened? Wet rot.

There are three types of wet rots (bacterial):
• Soft rot (Pectobacterium spp.)
• Leak (Pythium spp.)
• Pink rot (Phytophora erythroseptica)
Actually, the stored tubers were initially infected at or before harvest because all three of these pathogens exist in the soil. When the potato tubers are cut or skinned during harvest, pathogens can enter through the wounds. If storage conditions are favorable, these pathogens cause wet rots. Storage conditions also influence the spread of the wet rots through the storage area.