In most cases, early dying is associated with invasion of root- lesion nematodes into plant roots, followed by Verticillium infection. There is considerable disagreement on whether crop rotations are effective in reducing injury from Verticillium. Alfalfa is a good rotational choice. Microsclerotia of Verticillium can survive in the soil for at least eight years without a host, although the population of microsclerotia, as a whole, declines each year because of soil microbial activity. It takes a four-year rotation out of potatoes to decrease microsclerotia populations sufficiently to reduce crop loss.
Potatoes are less susceptible to early dying if irrigation is reduced once tubers are initiated.
Another early dying management strategy is the use of green manure crops such as corn, oats, peas, rape, rye and sudangrass for 2 to 3 years. The disease suppressive properties of these crops are apparently related to changes in the soil microflora. Potato scab, caused by the bacteria Streptomyces scabies, infects tubers, roots, stems and rhizomes. Damage to the skin of young potatoes is the most serious economical consequence. Scab tends to be more severe in fields newly planted to potatoes and in fields with high undecomposed organic matter content.