I have a few potatoes left from last year's crop that I could potentially use as seed potatoes. The problem is that last year the potatoes were planted too close to the butternut trees and suffered from juglans wilt - potatoes were small and there weren't very many of them. If I use my remaining potatoes to start this year's crop (in a different location), will the juglans wilt carry over and will I get the same results as last year?

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), March 14, 2002

Answers

Since the potatoes have been infected with a toxin and even though the toxin did not apparently kill them, I think I’d go with new seed potatoes: Univ. Kentucky Extension, www.uky.edu/Agriculture/kpn/pdf/kpn_895.pdf Walnut, especially black walnut (Juglans nigra) and butternut (Juglans cinerea), is associated with an often difficult-to-diagnose wilt of plants in the garden and landscape. Affected plants growing near walnuts are exposed to juglone, a toxin which can cause plants to yellow, suddenly wilt, and die. Wilting plants often show a staining of the vascular system similar to that caused by other wilt diseases. Juglone, and its precursor, hydrojuglone can be found in all parts of black walnut including leaves, stems, fruit hulls, inner bark, and roots.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), March 14, 2002.

Hi Cindy,

Juglans wilt is not caused by an infectious agent. It is caused by the chemical family known as juglones produced by the roots of several related mast species like walnut. As long as you plant this year's patch well outside of the root zone of the trees you should be alright. If you are in any way worried about the vigor of your potential seed spuds, I would get new ones, but there is no disease to transmit, just the aftermath of chemical poisoning basically.

Oscar

-- Oscar H. Will III (owill@mail.whittier.edu), March 14, 2002.

I'd get new seed potatoes this year. Even if the wilt doesn't carry over (something I'm just not sure about), I'd worry that, coming from sick plants, the seed wouldn't have enough vitality to produce a good crop this year. Seed potatoes are cheap enough that I wouldn't take the risk myself.

-- Murray in ME (lkdmfarm@megalink.net), March 14, 2002.