Potato Virus X

Potato virus X (PVX) might sound like the latest super sleuth or cartoon hero. But inviting it to your garden would be a mistake. Potato X disease can infect your potato, tomato, eggplant, and pepper crops. If you grow members of the beet or cabbage families, PVX can hurt you there, too.

Also known as potato interveinal mosaic, potato top necrosis, and potato mild mosaic virus, this viral disease is caused by members of the Potexvirus virus group. PVX occurs everywhere potatoes are grown and can reduce your crop by 15%. When other viruses join the fight, those numbers skyrocket.

Consequences of co-infection

Unlike most plant diseases, which work in isolation, potato X can appear in tandem with PVA and PVY to create a perfect storm of stunting, chlorosis, and crop loss. Learn to identify and manage these diseases for a productive potato patch.

Sick potato (jjffjj) Pixabay

Symptoms of potato virus X

You may not see symptoms other than a drop in tuber production. Your plants may look bushier. Or, you may see chlorosis, dead spots in tubers, leaf crinkling, mosaics, ringspots, and smaller leaves.

Potato virus X management

Potato X disease is spread mechanically on tools, clothing, and infected roots and tubers. Avoid walking through potentially infected areas and use clean, disease-free seed potatoes to prevent this disease. Crop rotation can help break the cycle once it occurs.

Since potato X also appears on weeds in the same families, pull any bindweed growing near susceptible crops. Heck, it’s always a good idea to get rid of bindweed.

Some potato varieties, such as Atlantic, HiLite Russet, Norwis, and Sebago, are somewhat resistant to PVX, so you may want to use them in your potato patch.