b"Some additional stress or wounding, or a stress that would enable the fungus to infect through the natural openings of the potato (is likely needed), Willbur adds.Willbur recommends growers watch for symptomatic tubers coming out of the field and going into storage to reduce the risk of rubbery rot developing. She has found that rubbery rot tubers will look wet in appearance and have white fungal wart-like growths on the tuber skin. The tubers Secor diagnosed as rubbery rot had a distinctive reddish tinge to them early on and became rubbery very quickly. Within a few days the tubers began to decay and develop a distinctive sour milk odour.Both Duellman and Willbur have published reports on what they have discovered so far about the storage Potato tubers infected with rubbery rot that have the white fungal wart-like growths on their disease. skin.PHOTO: VIVIANA RIVERAWith the Geotrichum candidum pathogen having been around in soil forI think that it's not necessarily a newWith so much still unknown about decades, Duellman, Willbur and Secorintroduction. But the environmentalrubbery rot, researchers want to learn all think rubbery rot may have infectedconditions or soil conditions, we may justmore. Duellman, Willbur and Secor spuds in the past, but the disease couldbe experiencing conditions or weatherencourage growers to reach out to them have been misdiagnosed as other potatoevents that are more favourable for itsif they suspect they may have infected diseases such as pink rot. infection and growth, Willbur explains. tubers. INNOVATIVEECONOMICALRELIABLEENJOYABLE16SPUDSMART.COM Winter 2023"