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M A R C H 2 0 1 612 POTATO GROWER The biggest challenge of providing a high quality potato is to produce tubers free from blemishes because consumers buy with their eyes as they naturally gravitate to tubers free from blemishes. Fresh market potato growers will often cull 15 to 20 of their crop because of tuber blemishes. Blemishes can be defined as any flaw or imperfection that spoils the appearance of the tuber thus making it unmarketable. Smooth- skinned tubers red white and yellow in particular are especially vulnerable to blemishes because they are easily observed. The primary blemishes fresh market potato growers face today include but are not limited to silver scurf black dot scab unattractive skin color malformed tubers and other unknown blemish problems. The overall purpose of this research project was to reduce loss of fresh market potatoes and improve the overall returns to fresh potato growers. We determined the blemish complex by surveying the types of blemish that are currently causing loss and determined what management methods are avail- able for controlling these blemishes. In Minnesota 11 samples were taken from eight different fresh pack sheds to be evaluated for blemishes. There were seven red-skinned cultivars three yel- low-skinned cultivars and one white- skinned cultivar. The most prevent blemishes by percent were external bruiseskinning 36 lenticel spot 33 superficial common scab 25 and black dot 22. Other blemished found were skin netting 13 silver scurf 9 enlarged lenticels 7 black heart 5 greeningsunburn 5 pitted common scab 2 growth Andys Advice Understanding and Managing Blemish Problems in Fresh Market Potato By Dr. Andy Robinson NDSUUMN Potato Extension Agronomist and Dr. Gary Secor NDSU Plant Pathologist