A new form of potato blight common to Europe could make its way to the UK, an expert has warned.
Speaking at British Potato 2005 last week Dutch plant pathologist Huub Shepers said while the UK had so far escaped its clutches, quick establishment of Phytophthora infestans in an uninfested territory was possible.
According to Shepers this undetected A2 mating type of the blight could result in a far more virulent form of the recognisable disease.
“The pathogen grows faster between infection and expression of symptoms, the spores have higher levels of infection and fewer hours of leaf wetness are necessary to instigate the disease. The result is that control is more difficult,” he explained.
And by adapting to weather conditions, the disease could survive at the higher and lower extremes of temperature, Shepers added.
He advised growers to select fungicide treatments with care but avoid reliance on scheduled treatment intervals.
“A seven-day spray schedule may have reduced control after day four, and with this aggressive new blight population, three more days before the next fungicide spray could be too late,” he claimed.
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