News on Phytophthora

Ireland's environmental protection agency has approved the first trial of a genetically modified potato crop.

Potato growers could achieve potential savings of more than €450/ha if they used a blight-resistant genetically modified (GM) potato variety instead of a conventional variety.

La Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA) dio su visto bueno para las pruebas de una papa genéticamente modificada (GM) que es resistente al tizón de la papa. En los próximos cuatro años se sembrarán en Irlanda dos hectáreas con esta papa genéticament...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today given consent to Teagasc, Oak Park, Co Carlow, to carry out field trials on a genetically modified (GM) potato line with improved resistance to late potato blight.

One of the scourges of the potato crop – blight – has now been found in all the major growing areas of Scotland, with infestation levels running well ahead of average.

Potato growers are facing many weather-related challenges and recent warm, wet weather has led to a massive increase in the number of Smith Periods this year so far, says Potato Council executive and blight specialist Gary Collins.

The horticulture department and Krishi Vignana Kendra had organised a demonstration of spraying pesticides in Narasipura in the wake of spread of blight disease for potato crop under Salagame hobli in the taluk recently.

Home gardeners and commercial growers are alerted of the potential introduction of late blight this growing season, as it has been confirmed in Suffolk County.

Dutch tests on a new strain of potato blight similar to that discovered for the first time in the UK last year have shown some isolates have reduced sensitivity to the common active fluazinam used to control the disease.

The disease risk in potatoes has increased with the wet weather over the last few weeks. Luckily, so far no late blight hasbeen found in Manitoba.

Potato crops in Britain are facing high blight pressure this season, demanding the best possible protection under extremely challenging application conditions.

Researchers cooperate to develop nutritious, high-yielding, and more disease-resistant potatoes for food-insecure indigenous communities in Colombia.

Late blight has not been reported in North Dakota, Minnesota or Manitoba. With the fair weather, late blight severity values are unchanged since Friday.

Late blight, the same disease that caused Ireland's potato famine in the 19th century, was confirmed in three Pennsylvania counties last week.

The blight fungicide containing Initium and dimethomorph, Zampro DM, has had reduction of tuber blight incidence added to its label, in addition to the control of late foliar blight.

As part of the Potato Council’s ‘Fight against blight’ campaign, the mapping of late blight outbreaks has demonstrated outgrade piles remain a significant source of blight in potato crops.

The decision support system “Blight Management” (“Skimmelstyring”) could in the future give Danish potato growers more effective control of potato late blight and reduce the use of fungicides.

Much of Maine's seed potato supply for this year is infected with blight, and the state has asked the federal government for an emergency exemption to make an effective but expensive toxic seed treatment available to growers.