This is the first issue of the 2019 NDSU Potato Blightline. There have been some changes to the Blightline this year. The telephone hotline is not available this year, but the Blightline will be sent to our list serve recipients. Late blight severity values and maps are still available on NDAWN as in the past at https://ndawn.ndsu.nodak.edu/potato-late-blight.html. Dates and locations can be adjusted online.

Beginning in 2019, an NDAWN Potato Blight App developed by Andy Robinson is available with field specific data models. The app is available at z.umn.edu/potatoapp.

Late blight has not been reported in ND, MN or MB in 2019, but severity values in many areas have exceeded 15, the threshold value at which conditions for late blight have accumulated enough for late blight infection to occur if inoculum is present. The severity values are accumulating early due to the cool wet weather we experienced this season. We recommend growers to scout fields early and often, apply a protectant fungicide just prior to row closure and send suspect late blight samples to us for positive identification. Let us know if you have questions or suggestions.

-Gary