Steps are being taken to ensure late blight innoculum is not introduced to the potato crop through tomatoes and other plants sold at greenhouses and gardening centres in Canada's Manitoba province. Vikram Bisht, plant pathologist for potato and horticultural crops with Manitoba Agriculture, explains the potato industry is looking to prevent a repeat of 2010, when the disease was introduced in early June on tomato plants at greenhouses.
Late blight sentinel plots have again been planted at the Canada-Manitoba Crop Diversification Centre sites at Winkler, Portage and Carberry to serve as an early warning system for growers. Bisht explains they have added misting systems to the plots this year to create favourable conditions for the disease