On 4 Feb 2005 21:28:24 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:


My garden is riddled with spraing, and always has been. It was very
bad last year, and has particularly affected my Champions - which I
cannot simply get new seed of, as they are not available.

Is there anything practical I can do, short of not growing potatoes
for some years and starting again with clean stock?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

My agricultural almanack (McConnell) says:

"Spraing can be caused by two different soil-borne viruses; potato
mop-top virus carried by the motile stage of the fungus causing
powdery scab, and tobacco rattle virus carried by a free-living
nematode 'Trichinoses'. Both favoured by damp conditions; rotation is
the main control."

Not much help, and you probably knew it anyway!


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net