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Cause of Potato Scab. The cause of common potato scab is a bacterium, Streptomyces Scabies, found in the soil. It is most common on light, sandy soils, low in organic matter. Soils that were previously grassland are particularly liable to having the disease. Soils with a high pH (recently limed) provide a better environment for the bacteria.
Keep your potatoes out of direct light, including sunlight and artificial and fluorescent light, which can cause potatoes to turn green. A faint trace of green on a potato is safe. Just cut away at these small areas, just as you would for brown areas on a potato.