Dickeya Solani discovered in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Farm minister Michelle Gildernew MP MLA has announced that a new strain of the potato disease Blackleg has been confirmed.

The strain of Blackleg, known as Dickeya solani, has been found in a ware potato crop grown locally. The infected ware crop was found as part of a joint Department of Agriculture &Rural Development (DARD) and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) survey of 62 crops to determine the extent of the disease in local production.

All potato crops grown with seed certified in the north of Ireland tested clear and DARD is confident that the local seed industry remains free of this disease.