Many viruses cause diseases of potato. In many cases, the symptoms are similar. It is often important to determine which of the viruses a potato has, because there are different ways to control these diseases.
Some viruses affect the yield more than do other viruses.
Four of these viruses are transmitted from plant to plant by aphids. The other is transmitted only by planting infected tubers. These aphids can be pale green to pink and may or may not have wings. Other common aphids on potato are the potato aphid, which is green or pink and spends the winter on wild or cultivated roses, and the glasshouse potato aphid, which is yellow-green to brown and overwinters on foxglove. This is the most serious potato virus in New England, and is responsible for huge losses worldwide.