Surreal illustration of a potato field with abstract virus particles, symbolizing PVY strains.

Potato Virus Y: What Every Gardener Needs to Know About Protecting Their Crop

Mira Elwood in Science & Nature September 2025 • 4 min read.

"Understand the strains, symptoms, and solutions to keep your potatoes thriving and your garden healthy."

Potato Virus Y (PVY) is a major concern for potato growers around the world, causing significant economic damage. This virus, which affects seed-potato production, is divided into several strains, each with unique characteristics and impacts. Understanding these strains and how they spread is crucial for protecting your potato crops and ensuring a healthy garden.

Historically, PVY has been categorized into three main strains: PVYC, PVYO, and PVYN. However, in recent years, recombinant strains like PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi have emerged, spreading rapidly across Europe and North America. These new strains have gradually replaced the older ones, posing new challenges for potato cultivation.

The key to managing PVY lies in understanding the different cultivars (varieties) of potatoes and their susceptibility to these various strains. Some cultivars show resistance to certain strains, while others are more vulnerable. By knowing the resistance profile of your potato crops, you can better protect them from the devastating effects of PVY.

Understanding the Strains of PVY: What's the Difference?

Surreal illustration of a potato field with abstract virus particles, symbolizing PVY strains.

The original classifications of PVY included PVYC, PVYO, and PVYN. PVYC and PVYO induce hypersensitive reactions (HRs) in specific potato cultivars, essentially causing the plant to react strongly to the virus. PVYN, on the other hand, induces vein necrosis in tobacco plants and generally causes milder symptoms in potatoes.

However, the more recently identified recombinant strains, PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi, have complicated the picture. These strains are recombinants of PVYO and PVYN, exhibiting new and sometimes more aggressive traits. Understanding their specific impacts is essential for effective disease management.

PVYC: Induces hypersensitive reactions in some potato cultivars (e.g., King Edward).
PVYO: Induces hypersensitive reactions in other potato cultivars (e.g., Désirée and Pentland Crown).
PVYN: Causes vein necrosis in tobacco; milder symptoms in most potato cultivars.
PVYNTN: Induces tuber necrosis in some cultivars, causing potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD).
PVYN-Wi: Spreading rapidly, often replaces historical strains; induces vein necrosis on tobacco.

The PVYNTN strain is particularly concerning because it can cause potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD), rendering the potatoes unmarketable. Meanwhile, the PVYN-Wi strain has been rapidly spreading and often replacing historical strains, making it crucial to monitor and understand.

Protecting Your Potato Crop: A Summary of Best Practices

Protecting your potato crops from PVY requires a multifaceted approach. It starts with understanding the strains of PVY present in your region and selecting cultivars with resistance to those strains. Regular monitoring, proper sanitation, and effective aphid control are also crucial for minimizing the spread of the virus. By staying informed and proactive, you can ensure a healthy and bountiful potato harvest.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1007/s11540-018-9401-4, Alternate LINK

Title: Resistance Of Potato Cultivars As A Determinant Factor Of Potato Virus Y (Pvy) Epidemiology

Subject: Agronomy and Crop Science

Journal: Potato Research

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: B. Dupuis, C. Bragard, O. Schumpp

Published: 2018-10-02

Everything You Need To Know

What is Potato Virus Y (PVY) and why should potato growers be concerned?

Potato Virus Y (PVY) is a significant threat to potato crops worldwide, causing substantial economic losses. It affects seed-potato production and is categorized into various strains, each with unique characteristics. The concern stems from the virus's ability to reduce yields and render potatoes unmarketable, especially with aggressive strains like PVYNTN, which causes potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD). Therefore, understanding PVY and its strains is critical for protecting potato crops and ensuring a healthy garden.

What are the primary strains of PVY and how do they affect potato plants?

The main strains of PVY include PVYC, PVYO, and PVYN, with newer recombinant strains such as PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi. PVYC and PVYO trigger hypersensitive reactions in specific potato cultivars, leading to strong plant responses. PVYN typically induces vein necrosis in tobacco and often causes milder symptoms in potatoes. PVYNTN is particularly concerning, causing potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD), making tubers unmarketable. PVYN-Wi is rapidly spreading and may replace older strains, also causing vein necrosis in tobacco.

How do different potato cultivars respond to various PVY strains?

The response to PVY varies among different potato cultivars. Some cultivars exhibit resistance to specific strains, while others are more vulnerable. For instance, cultivars like King Edward might show hypersensitive reactions to PVYC, and Désirée or Pentland Crown may react similarly to PVYO. Understanding these resistance profiles is vital for managing PVY effectively. By selecting cultivars resistant to the prevalent strains in your region, you can significantly reduce the risk of infection and the associated damage.

What is the significance of the newer recombinant strains like PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi?

The recombinant strains PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi pose significant challenges. PVYNTN can cause potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD), which leads to the development of necrotic rings on the tubers, making them unmarketable. PVYN-Wi is rapidly spreading and often replaces older strains. This makes disease management more complex because it requires constant monitoring and adjustment of control strategies. The emergence of these strains highlights the importance of staying updated on PVY prevalence and adapting crop management practices accordingly.

What practical steps can gardeners take to protect their potato crops from PVY?

Protecting potato crops from PVY involves a multifaceted approach. Start by identifying the PVY strains prevalent in your area and selecting potato cultivars known to be resistant to these strains. Implement regular monitoring to detect early signs of infection. Practice proper sanitation, such as removing infected plants immediately. Finally, control aphids, as they are vectors that can spread the virus. By combining these measures, you can minimize the risk of PVY and ensure a healthy potato harvest.