PEI Department of Agriculture offers Department offers new seed testing service for potato growers

The Prince Edward Island Department of Agriculture is offering a new service to potato growers that will test potato seed lots for the Fusarium dry rot disease. If found, the Fusarium species will be tested for sensitivity to commonly used fungicides. The service will help growers ensure that they are using a fungicide that is effective against any Fusarium that may have affected seed lots.

Seed potatoes infected with Fusarium can rot after planting and cause misses in the field, said Brian Beaton, potato industry coordinator with the department. Even if plants grown from infected seed do emerge, they often have reduced vigour and yield.

Beaton said that over the last number of years there has been an increasing amount of Fusarium seed piece decay in seed lots, and a number of the strains of Fusarium are showing resistance to commonly used fungicides.

The test will take approximately two weeks. Growers are advised to collect a sample of about 10 tubers. Any tubers that are showing disease symptoms should be included in the sample especially if they have cuts or cracks. Tubers that are completely rotted or broken down should not be included.

The samples can be placed in a sealed plastic bag and submitted as soon as possible to the Research Station in Charlottetown. There is no cost for the testing service.