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November 28, 2011
New Brunswick protesters rally to bring detained Canadian farmer home from Lebanon
Chanting “Free Henk now” and “Mr. Harper, make the call,” about 100 protesters joined family and friends in a small New Brunswick community Sunday to support ongoing efforts to bring imprisoned potato farmer Henk Tepper home in time for the holidays. ...From the archive
November 24, 2011
Canadian researchers looking for new ways to combat wireworm
Researchers on P.E.I. and in Alberta are looking for new ways to kill wireworms before the larvae destroy farmer's crops. Christine Norohna from Agriculture Canada has already done some research using buckwheat and brown mustard as rotation crops. She...From the archive
November 10, 2011
Idaho growers eye BASF's new GM potato
More than a decade has passed since Jim Tiede was among the growers caught up in a debacle over the first U.S. genetically modified potato variety. Even today, the American Falls, Idaho, farmer copes with the fallout of planting Monsanto's GM potato N...From the archive
November 01, 2011
Simple plastic barriers combat major potato pest
A simple barrier technology has tested effective to prevent the spread and infestation of Andean potato weevils, while also protecting the biodiversity of insects, including natural enemies of pests. An ordinary sheet of plastic is proving to be a sim...From the archive
November 01, 2011
Zebra chip research gains importance as disease spreads
Zebra chip, a disease that affects potatoes, was recently found in the potato-growing regions of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The discovery brings to focus the growing need for scientific answers – something that will be discussed at the SCRI Zebra Ch...From the archive
November 01, 2011
Zebra Chip Management Webcast Re-launched for Potato Growers in Idaho, Pacific Northwest
In light of the recent confirmation of zebra chip in Idaho, Focus on Potato, a nonprofit potato crop management resource, has made open access its presentation on Zebra Chip Disease of Potatoes by Gary Secor of North Dakota State University. This pres...From the archive
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October 30, 2011
Common scab of potatoes: Best management practices
'Focus on Potato' of the Plant Management Network has published a new webcast: Common Scab of Potatoes By Thomas A. Zitter Ph.D., Professor, Dept of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New YorkFrom the archive
October 23, 2011
Additional potato cyst nematode infected field(s) found in Idaho
Two new infestations of a microscopic wormlike pest that attacks potato plants have been discovered in eastern Idaho, state and federal agriculture officials say. Lloyd Knight of the Idaho Department of Agriculture said that both infestations of the p...From the archive
October 11, 2011
Zebra Chip Finds Its Way to Idaho’s Potato Fields
A potato pest from points south has reached Idaho, University of Idaho Extension specialists with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences confirmed this week. It was reported last month in Oregon and Washington.From the archive
October 04, 2011
Scientists look for source of Alaska potato blight
Potato late blight, that same disease that caused the Irish Potato Famine, resurfaced in Alaska this fall. This wasn’t the first time the disease, widespread in the Lower 48 and worldwide, came to Alaska. Plant pathologist Jenifer McBeath suspects it...From the archive
October 01, 2011
Idaho Potato Cyst Nematode containment area to expand
Potato growers in Eastern Idaho are questioning the effectiveness of the USDA's efforts to contain the pale cyst nematode (Globodera Pallida), a small wormlike pest that endangers Idaho's potato export markets. Several U.S. trading partners, including...From the archive
September 12, 2011
Zebra chip disease hits potatoes in Oregon and Washington
Zebra chip, a disease that annually costs Southwest U.S. potato growers millions of dollars in crop loss, has been found in Washington and Oregon. A USDA scientist and an Oregon State University plant pathologist confirmed zebra chip in tuber samples ...From the archive
September 01, 2011
Late blight hits potatoes in Alaska
Late blight has shown up in the fields of two potato producers, in Palmer and Delta Junction. Alaska. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service is working with major potato producers to help prevent the spread.From the archive
August 18, 2011
Potato Rot Nematode Confirmed in Ontario
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed a detection of potato rot nematode (Ditylenchus destructor) in garlic from a two-acre farm field in the Ottawa region of Ontario. Potato rot nematode (PRN) is a regulated quarantine pest in Cana...From the archive
May 10, 2011
New Late Blight Tracking System
A new USDA-funded consortium will provide nationwide tracking of late blight infections of potato and tomato. A web site currently under development will allow users to report where late blight has been found, and to sign up for automatic notifications by email or text message when late blight is found nearby.From the archive
April 14, 2011
Resistant potato varieties make the difference between having enough to eat or not
Excessive rains and an increased presence of late blight disease devastated the Cusco region of Peru in January-February 2010, which was declared a national emergency area.From the archive
April 06, 2011
Major late blight research project funded by the USDA
Given that world potato production is about 320 million tons per year (20 million tons per year in the United States) and world tomato production is about 120 million tons per year (13 million tons per year in the U.S.), late blight is a major problem worldwide even today.From the archive
April 03, 2011
New Focus on Potato webcast: Early Blight, a Global Management Issue on potatoes
"Focus on Potato"of the Plant Management Network has published a new webcast:Early Blight: A Global Management Issue on PotatoesBy Walter R. Stevenson, Ph.D.Professor EmeritusUniversity of WisconsinMadison, WisconsinFrom the archive