Field Studies on Heterodera schachtii Schmidt in relation to the Pathological Condition known as “Potato Sickness”

Abstract

Preliminary studies in Lancashire and Cheshire (Smith and Prentice, 1929) have indicated that under certain conditions there is a positive association between the disease known as “potato sickness” and the intensity of root eelworm, Heterodera schachtii Schmidt, as measured by the cyst content of the soil. This association does not appear to be constant, as a moderately high cyst content may occur in the absence of obvious disease. It has also been found (Smith and Miles, 1929) that under conditions prevailing in the North West of England the cyst content of the soil increases only after a crop which is not a total failure.