Variation in tuber pathogenicity of Phytophthora infestans in the Netherlands

Variation in aggressiveness to tubers among isolates of Phytophthora infestans sampled from three potato growing regions in the Netherlands was compared. Variation in the ability to infect tubers of cv. Bintje was found between isolates of each of the three regional populations. The most aggressive isolate of the old population matched the average level of the new population in its ability to infect tubers. As a consequence, the commonly used reference isolate VK 6C can no longer be considered to be representative of the present population of P. infestans. Therefore it is recommended that testing tuber resistance for the official list of potato cultivars with this isolate should be discontinued. Tuber infection and subsequent spread of the fungus in the tuber tissues were not found to be correlated. The components of tuber pathogenicity studied were not correlated to pathogenicity factors in the foliage, as measured under growth chamber conditions.