UK: Potatoes emerge to perfect storm of blight pressure

In the United Kingdom, many potato crops are now emerging well - straight into conditions that pose a high risk of blight. There is a ‘perfect storm’ of blight risk building up, warned Syngenta Field Technical Manager, Simon Laidler.

Blight attacks are already believed to have hit unsprayed crops grown under plastic in the south-west and south Wales; large numbers of volunteer potatoes have survived the mild winter that would prove to be foci of infection and wet soils could allow blight spores landing on the surface to move and infect plants. Now weather forecasts of continued rain and warmer conditions that will be highly conducive to disease outbreaks could exacerbate the risks.

“This season everything appears set to hit at once and has significantly increased the risk of blight,” advised Mr Laidler. “BlightCast has already identified Smith Periods in the south west, and further high risk trigger points for much of the UK this week (13-15 May). The soft new growth of emerging crops is most susceptible to infection and will need to be protected from the outset.”