Alberta takes up fight against late blight

A concerted effort has begun in Alberta Canada to raise awareness about the nastiness of late blight in tomatoes and potatoes.

Once an occasional problem in Alberta fields and gardens, late blight infestation has occurred at some level over the last several years, raising concerns among crop specialists and vegetable producers.

“We used to see the disease once in a blue moon, so to speak,” said Alberta Agriculture plant pathologist Michael Harding.

“Every once in awhile the conditions would be conducive, and some inoculum would end up causing some local problems. But we’ve never really had three or four years in a row, like we have recently, where we’ve had significant late blight issues.”

Jeremy Carter, technical director with Potato Growers of Alberta, said he and executive director Terence Hochstein calculated that late blight cost producers $12.5 million in extra chemical applications last year.

The inoculum can also wreak havoc on stored potatoes because it favours humid conditions.

“You’ve spent all that money to get that crop in the shed and now it’s melting in the shed. And it really melts. They (potatoes) pour out the door. It’s not pretty,” he said.

“It’s a major disease for potatoes, and we’ve got it here now. We’re wanting to get on top of it.”