During her PhD studies, Julie Pedersen investigated the occurrence of causal agent(s) associated with potato early dying (PED) in Danish potato starch production fields, with a particular emphasis on the  influence of potato crop management practices on the disease. PED, which results in the premature wilting of potato plants, is predominantly caused by the soilborne fungus Verticillium dahliae. The study encompassed the detection of V. dahliae in soil and plant tissues, as well as its correlation with the incidence and severity of PED. Furthermore, she assessed the impact of various potato crop rotation systems on PED and examined the interactions within the soil microbial community.

The new research findings contribute to the understanding of PED in Danish starch-potato fields, its impact  on starch yield in tubers across different crop management systems, and offer recommendations for future PED management strategies.

The PhD study was completed at the Department of Agroecology, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 27 June 2025 at 13:00
Place: Auditorium, lokale C101, bygning 7613, Aarhus University Flakkebjerg, Forsøgsvej 1, 4200 Slagelse
Title of PhD thesis: Potato early dying (PED): Epidemiology, causes and management
Contact information: Julie Pedersen, e-mail: Jupe@agro.au.dk, tel.: +45 27253560
Members of the assessment committee:
Associate professor Birgit Jensen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Associate professor Phillip Wharton, Aberdeen Research and Extension Center, University of Idaho, USA
Senior researcher Fiona Hay (chair), Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Associate professor Sabine Ravnskov, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor: Tenure track assistant professor Isaac K. Abuley, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.