News
Blightline July 10, 2015
No late blight has been reported or confirmed in our region of ND, MN or MB. Late blight has been reported in potatoes in the states of CA, CO, FL, NH, NY, PA, TX, WA and WI in 2015. Late blight severity values in our regions have stabilized the past two days. Most irrigated locations have reached late blight severity values of 15, including Beach, Inkster, Karlsruhe, Leonard, Linton, Mandan, Michigan, Minot, Oakes, Robinson and Tappen. The non-irrigated locations of Ada, Humboldt, Rolla, Sabin, St. Thomas, Stephen and Warren have also accumulated 15 severity values. At this threshold value of 15, accumulated conditions are conducive for late blight if inoculum is present; growers are encouraged to apply a protective fungicide such as chlorothalonil or mancozeb.
Blightline July 8, 2015
No late blight has been reported in our region of ND, MN or MB. Late blight has been reported in potatoes in Morgan County, CO. The genotype is US8, which was first reported in 1995, has been found only rarely in recent years. Late blight severity values in our area continue to accumulate. Most irrigated locations have reached late blight severity values of 15, including Beach, Inkster, Karlsruhe, Leonard, Linton, Mandan, Michigan, Minot, Oakes, Robinson and Tappen. The non-irrigated locations of Ada, Humboldt, Rolla, Sabin, Stephen and Warren have also accumulated 15 severity values. At this threshold value of 15, accumulated conditions are conducive for late blight if inoculum is present; growers are encouraged to apply a protective fungicide such as chlorothalonil or mancozeb.
Signs of Metribuzin Damage in Potato
Metribuzin applied to potatoes postemergence can cause chlorosis of the veins for a variety of reasons. It can be that cultivars are more sensitive to the herbicide, or the environmental conditions promote slow metabolism, or the soil conditions make metribuzin more active. Knowing these things will help ensure crop safety when using metribuzin.
Blightline July 1, 2015
No late blight has been reported in our region of ND, MN or MB. Late blight has been reported in potatoes in Adams County, and more recently in Waushara County,WI. Late blight has been reported in potatoes in Franklin County, WA. The genotypes have not yet been identified. Late blight severity values in our area have stabilized somewhat are accumulating slower. Several irrigated locations have reached late blight severity values of 15, including Beach, Inkster, Leonard, Linton, Michigan, Oakes and Robinson. At this threshold value, accumulated conditions are conducive for late blight if inoculum is present; growers are encouraged to apply a protective fungicide such as chlorothalonil or mancozeb.
Focus on Potato: Managing Diseases with Biopesticides in Potato Production
Potato diseases account for a significant portion of crop production costs and yield losses each year. A broad range of plant pathogens can impact quality and yield of potato plants both in the field and post-harvest in transit or storage. For some chronic diseases, fungicides are essential to protect yield and quality. Growers, now more than ever, have an increasing number of biopesticide options available to integrate into their overall disease management programs. Understanding the modes of action of biopesticides is critical in making such products work for successful disease management. This presentation will address some of the basics of biopesticides including product categories, modes of action, and efficacy as they pertain to conventional potato systems.
NDSU / U of M International Potato Scout School
The NDSU / U of M International Potato Scout School field training will be held in Grand Forks on July 7. This training will encompass potato researchers and Extension specialists who work with seed certification, breeding, entomology, and weed science. BASF is sponsoring the meal.
Aphid Alert for June 29
Getting some more traps up and running. Aphid numbers remain low although we expect them to increase as the season moves along. Don't forget to be scouting for aphids!
Blightline June 26
No late blight has been reported in our region. Late blight has been reported in potatoes in Adams County, WI. The genotype has not yet been identified. Late blight severity values are accumulating due to the wet and cool conditions in June. Several irrigated locations have reached late blight severity values of 15, including Beach, Inkster, Leonard, Linton, Michigan and Oakes. At this threshold value, accumulated conditions are conducive for late blight if inoculum is present; growers are encouraged to apply a protective fungicide such as chlorothalonil or mancozeb. Chlorothalonil is in short supply this year and may be difficult to find.
Blightline June 22
No late blight has been reported in our region. As you all know, our potato planting and emergence are ahead of normal, and late blight severity values are accumulating due to the wet and cool conditions in June. Several locations have reached late blight severity values of 15, including Beach, Leonard and Oakes. At this threshold value, accumulated conditions are conducive for late blight if inoculum is present, growers are encouraged to apply a protective fungicide such as chlorothalonil or mancozeb. Chlorothalonil is in short supply this year and may be difficult to find.
Aphid Alert Start for 2015
And so it begins..... Traps have begun to report and there have been some aphids flying already. Including one Green Peach Aphid recovered from Ada, MN! Not an auspicious start to the year but I suspect the winged GPA recovered in the trap is a recent immigrant to our fair Valley. The winds were right for immigration events two weeks ago and we had rain, which would have brought airborne aphids to the ground. While it's doubtful we have treatable populations of aphids in potatoes yet, this week's trap catch indicates it's never too early to start scouting...
Blightline June 8, 2015
No late blight has been reported in our region. Late blight has been reported in Florida and Texas in 2015. As you all know, our potato planting and emergence are ahead of normal, and late blight severity values are accumulating due to the wet and cool conditions in May and early June.
On the Look Out for Bacterial Soft Rot
We are interested in obtaining samples of bacterial rots to characterize what types are present in potato tubers. If you suspect bacterial rot, please contact me or send me a sample of a few tubers.
Focus on Potato: Best Management Tactics and Fungicide Resistance in Alternaria Populations
Broad-spectrum fungicides are the primary products used for the management of Alternaria. However, a shift to include narrow spectrum fungicides in rotation was made in order to minimize the impacts on mammal toxicity and alleviate environmental concerns due to chemical residues. Fungicide resistance must be taken into account when the chemical affects a single site and is repeatedly used. This presentation will provide consultants and growers with the best practices to manage early blight on potato. It will review fungicide basics, exhibit how quickly fungicide resistance develops, will briefly compare pathogenicity and aggressiveness of the early blight pathogen, A. solani, to the brown spot pathogen, A. alternata, and review best management tactics for early blight.
NDSU Potato Blightline to Operate in 2015
The Plant Pathology Department at North Dakota State University will again be providing the potato Blightline service at no charge to the potato industry of North Dakota and western Minnesota in 2015. You can access the Blightline information by phone, email, texts, or the NDSU/U of M Potato Extension and the Potato Pathology website.
Growing Potatoes in the Garden
There have been a handful of calls from people asking how to grow potatoes in their garden. Here are links to some selected Extension publications and books on growing potatoes in the garden. Please contact me if you have further questions or know of other good information that the home gardener could benefit from.
Free Zebra Chip Webinar May 7th
The USDA Office of Pest Management Policy and The American Phytopathological Society are hosting a free webinar on Zebra Chip May 7, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. Central. This one-hour webinar, titled “Overview of Zebra Chip Research in the U.S.” will be presented by Dr. Charlie Rush, a plant pathologist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center and a leading authority on Zebra Chip. In his presentation, Rush will talk about components of a wide-ranging response and recovery plan that focuses on Zebra Chip’s control. These components include the etiology, epidemiology, detection, economics, and management of Zebra Chip. Rush will also identify and discuss priorities needed in research, extension and education to control zebra chip outbreaks.
Focus on Potato: Preventing the Spread of Potato Viruses: What Insecticides Can and Cannot Do
Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV) and Potato Virus Y (PVY) are the two most serious viral diseases affecting potato growers in North America. Each virus is characterized by its own distinct epidemiology, and should be treated accordingly. This presentation will help consultants, growers, and other practitioners in North America to optimize insecticide use for controlling aphid vectors of PLRV and PVY in their crops. Practitioners will learn the differences between persistently and non-persistently transmitted viruses, between colonizing and non-colonizing aphid species, and their implications for making proper decisions on using insecticides.
2015 NDSU Pest Management Guides Available
Fungicide, Insecticide, and Herbicide Guides for Potato Production (and other crops) are available to assist farmers with management decisions. These guides are for labelled products in North Dakota. Please check your state for current label recommendations. Inclusion in or exclusion from this page does not infer any recommendation or statement of efficacy. No statement or inference of comparative efficacy between products is included in this document. This information is from current registration labels as available.
Genetics of Late Blight – Real World Implications - FOCUS ON POTATO
This presentation explains many of the genetic characteristics (general and unique) of Phytophthora infestans. It starts with a chronological description of the gradually increasingly accurate understanding of the genetics of this oomycete. It emphasizes the population genetics worldwide, but with special emphasis on the United States. A major theme is that "migration" has played a huge role in the diversity of populations in the USA and worldwide. An accurate understanding of the simple population genetic structure of this organism in the USA can be used to improve efforts to mitigate the harmful effects of this pathogen.
Understanding Potato Stem Number
Knowing your stem number will likely affect your production and profitability. Because potatoes are inherently quite variable, seed will vary across lots and within the same lot. Research clearly shows that as stem number increases, so does tuber number. With fewer stems there are fewer tubers, which result in a larger tuber profile. Think about this for a minute: What do you get paid for in your production system? The answer to this is what you need to focus on in order to maximize profit. Finding the best number of stems for the cultivar and desired outcome is essential to an economically profitable potato operation.
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