Clarification on new PCN findings in Idaho.

A highly cited recent article in the Idaho Falls based Post Register stated that there were new detections of Potato Cyst Nematodes in Idaho. The headline also made it to PotatoPro's News updates.

The Idaho Potato Commission has provided a statement clarifying the issue:

The ongoing USDA-APHIS and ISDA cooperative program to eradicate the pale cyst nematode (PCN) in Idaho is underway for the 2012 field season. Recent news articles describing this year’s eradication treatments have reported on the detection of three ‘new’ PCN-infested fields in eastern Idaho. This recent media attention to the PCN program has raised questions in the industry about ‘new’ PCN findings.

Since PCN was first detected in Idaho in 2006, the PCN Program has confirmed a total of 15 infested fields, all within a 5-mile radius spanning portions of northern Bingham and southern Bonneville Counties, Idaho. The three most recent detections were confirmed in February 2012 in soil samples collected in late 2011. No additional detections have been made this year. The PCN regulated area is currently 14,455 acres, of which 1,756 acres are infested.

Over 350,000 soil samples have been collected throughout Idaho to confirm Idaho’s freedom from PCN outside the 15 infested fields. The robust statewide survey and aggressive regulatory requirements have allowed all but one foreign market to reopen to Idaho potatoes that closed immediately after the initial detection. The PCN Program completed a 5-year review in March 2012. Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ), Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) officials considered feedback from industry representatives and state/federal agencies, and analyzed the latest program data and input from PCN technical experts. The review panel determined that the eradication goals established in 2007 are being met and that eradication will remain the program’s focus in 2012 and beyond.

Additional information on the Idaho PCN program