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Effects of Tuber Depth and Soil Moisture on Infection of Potato Tubers in Soil by Phytophthora infestans

The effects of tuber depth, soil type, and soil moisture on potato tuber infection due to Phytophthora infestans were assessed under greenhouse conditions in soil contained in large pots. Healthy tubers were used to assess infection and were either hand buried in soil at specific depths or naturally formed from potato plants growing in the soil. A spore suspension of P. infestans was chilled to induce zoospore formation and a suspension of resulting zoospores and sporangia were applied to the soil. Soil depth at which tubers became infected was used to determine the extent of spore movement in the soils. Tuber infection significantly decreased with increasing soil depth. Most infected tubers were found at the surface of soil; infection was rare on tubers at 5 cm or deeper in the soil. Amount of tuber infection varied among soil types. Significantly less tuber infection occurred in a Shano silt loam than in medium and fine sands. Only tubers on the soil surface were infected in the Shano silt loam. Depth in soil at which tubers became infected did not differ significantly among Quincy fine sand, Quincy loamy fine sand, and Quincy medium sand. Increased soil moisture did not significantly increase the soil depth at which tuber infection occurred, regardless of the soil type.