News on Potato Defects and Diseases from India

A groundbreaking wind-operated aerial insect trap designed to revolutionize pest management in agriculture has been developed by a team of scientists at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI) in Shimla.

SV Agri organized its Annual Variety and Seed Farm Show from January 8th to 10th, featuring the display of 14 new potato varieties.

Zero tillage not only boosts soil fertility and raises carbon stocks but also prolongs the potato growing season by harnessing the residual moisture after the rice harvest.

In a full-blown attack by the disease late blight, more than 50% potato crop in the fields has suffered extensive damage, leading to heavy losses for the farmers who had opted for diversification instead of growing wheat after paddy.

The state Agriculture department of West Bengal (India) recently set a target of attaining self-sufficiency in the production of seed potato by 2030. CIP is supporting the effort with their technology

After mustard, India will undertake trials of two other genetically modified (GM) food crops, bananas and potatoes, perhaps ushering in a new era of biotech-enhanced farming.

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, have developed a computational model for automated disease detection in potato crops using photographs of its leaves.

As weather in West-Bengal, India turns unfavourable, output falls sharply and potato prices shoot up.

In an effort to limit the spread of the Potato Cyst Nematode, the government of India has prohibited the movement of seed potatoes from Himachal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Jammu Kashmir to other states

An ammonia gas leak from a cold storage plant near Agra (UP, India) has caused damage to potato crops across four nearby villages, affecting some 500 farmers in the area.

Farmers in India can expect higher yields and profits with the release of a new potato variety, Kufri Lima, developed by the International Potato Center (CIP) and the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI)

Within 30 days into potato cultivation this year, growers in Hassan, Karnataka are losing hope of good returns in their field. The poor germination is linked by experts to the lack of rainfall.

Aiming to boost potato exports, the Indian government is considering identifying ‘pest-free zones’ for the staple in production clusters of the growing states like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Lack of rain has left potato growers of Hassan - a district in the Southern Indian state of Karnataka in distress.

Russia threatens to impose temporary restrictions on import of Indian potatoes.based on phytosanitary concerns (brown rot agent)

In the Indian State of Karnataka, the Department of Horticulture has decided to provide certified seed potatoes to 1,000 farmers for pre-monsoon cultivation on a pilot basis.

Domestic potato production in India in the present Rabi season is likely to be 25-30 per cent higher over last year on account of good weather conditions.

Potato production in West Bengal is likely to be lower by 10-15 per cent on ‘late blight’ in a quarter of the growing districts.