13 April, 2012
Farmers have been urged not to worry about a potato
blight that has been found in the UK, cerosmedia.com
reports.
New blight strain 33_A2 (more commonly known as Green 33) has
been witnessed in the UK after coming over from farms in the
Netherlands, where it accounts for around 20 per cent of the blight
population.
It has been confirmed that Green 33 was present in the UK and
one study found it to be resistant to the blight spray active
ingredient fluazinam. Despite this, farmers have been told not to
worry about the blight as all examples of it came from just one
farm and full confirmation of its resistance to fluazinam has not
been officially given.
Experts have suggested that instead of worrying about the blight
or changing their spraying habits, farmers should instead stick to
best practice and keep vigilant.
Speaking to fwi.co.uk of what they know so far, Dr David
Cooke of the James Hutton Institute explained: "Two isolates were
identified and are being tested. They came from the same outbreak
in a single field, right at the end of the season. We're awaiting
confirmation on its status.
"We're in a good position to monitor populations carefully and
stick to best practice when it comes to spray programmes. We also
know that these new strains tend to be aggressive and that
populations can change rapidly. So vigilance is essential and
growers need access to all the information that we have."
Source: Vertical Leap
