News on Potato Defects and Diseases from Northern America

Defender: Green plants of the late blight-resistant potato variety Defender

May 06, 2010

Defender: Late blight-Resistant Potato variety from ARS Research

Potatoes are America’s number one vegetable crop. Per capita, Americans consume about 130 pounds annually.

April 24, 2010

Will there be a sequel to last summer's late blight with tomatoes, potatoes?

Many readers are no doubt aware of last summer's late-blight infestation, in which a fungus, Phytophthora infestans, decimated local tomato and potato plantings. The fungus overwinters in southeastern United States but does not generally overwinter in ...

Potato chips from potatoes affected by the Zebra chips disease (ARS)

October 13, 2009

Liberibacter Species Bacterium Identified as Prime Suspect in Zebra Chip Disease

Since 2000, a mystery disease has struck some potato fields in Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, and other western states, reducing tuber yields and quality.

August 26, 2009

MSU Plant Pathologist Willie Kirk: monitor potatoes in storage for late blight

The impact of late blight to potato growers in Michigan is clear and we estimate that many growers with crops going in to long-term storage will spend up to $350/A in crop protection products alone (not including application costs). Even such intense c...

July 15, 2009

Late Blight Found In Aroostook (ME) Potato Fields

Farmers in southern and central Maine have already reported cases of late blight in potato and tomato crops. Now the disease has spread to northern Maine.

April 15, 2009

Columbia root-knot nematodes resistant potato developed by ARS scientists

Despite their microscopic size, Columbia root-knot nematodes (CRN) have potential to inflict huge losses—about $40 million annually—by tunneling into potatoes to feed.

March 18, 2009

University of Maine cooperative extension program saves potato farmers 17 million

Maine potato growers are thriving thanks to a late blight spraying advice offered by the University of Maine's cooperative extension program.

March 17, 2009

Potato blights develop fungicide resistance

Leaf samples taken last summer by provincial potato specialists and ag chem firm Bayer CropScience throughout Canada show "widespread"presence of fungi that have mutated to resist the fungicides used most often to control them.The sampling pr...

July 16, 2008

Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research developed a potato that is resistant to common scab

The humble spud has few natural enemies (beside humans), but common scab disease is one that threatens the whole potato industry. Common scab is one of the most prevalent and costly diseases for the potato industry worldwide. The vegetable research t...

October 16, 2007

PEI testing potatoes for wart

A virus that crippled Prince Edward Island's potato industry for six months in 2000 may have returned. A single spud from a quarantined processing field near Kensington is being tested for potato wart, a disease that poses no threat to humans but leave...