Potato early dying disease in the Pacific Northwest caused byErwinia carotovora pv.carotovora andE. carotovora pv.atroseptica

Premature death of potato vines is widespread in irrigated potato fields of the Pacific Northwest.Verticillium dahliae is a major cause of early dying in fields with a history of potato production, but in fields new to potato production, or those that have been fumigated and have a lowV. dahliae population in the soil, premature death of vines can also occur.Erwinia carotovora pv.carotovora (Ecc) andE. carotovora pv.atroseptica (Eca) have been implicated in the early dying disease syndrome in these fields. Both bacterial pathogens are associated with symptoms similar to those caused byV. dahliae; i.e., a progressive chlorosis and necrosis of the foliage and vascular discoloration that may extend a short distance up the stem. Greenhouse pathogenicity studies on cv. Russet Burbank cuttings in which symptom development was identical to that produced byV. dahliae have verified thatEcc andEca can cause potato early dying.