The Use of Mineral Oil in Potato Protection: Dynamics in the Plant and Effect on Potato Virus Y Spread

The focus of this study was to evaluate two mineral oils (Superior 70 and Vazyl-Y) in reducing the seasonal spread of Potato Virus Y (PVY). Three concentrations of oil (0, 5, and 10 L ha^?1 of Superior 70; 0, 7.5, and 15 L ha^?1 of Vazyl-Y) and three spray regimes for both oils (every 3–4, 7, and 10–11 days) were tested. Two weeks after top-kill, two tubers from each of 49 plants free of virus at emergence were harvested from treatment plots, sprouted, and tested for PVY with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results revealed that in the case of Superior 70, PVY spread in mineral oil treated plots ranged from 2.1 to 12.2 %, while in the control plots it ranged from 20.4 to 37.7 % across three cultivars. In the case of Vazyl-Y, PVY spread in mineral oil treated plots ranged from 2.1 to 26.5 %, while in the control plots it ranged from 49.9 to 85.7 % across three cultivars. These data show that there was a significant reduction in PVY due to spray of mineral oils. In addition, mineral oil was quantified in plants from the Superior 70 treated and the control plots to understand the dynamics of mineral oil during the season. While there was little to no oil measured in the leaves at the early stages of plant growth, a considerable amount of mineral oil was detected close to plant maturity. A basic model of the concentration of oil in the treated foliage was formulated to confirm our understanding of the factors at play. The model could explain from 50 to 90 % of the variation in oil content observed in the field. Plant growth and size are important factors affecting oil content in mineral oil treated foliage.