First Potato Blight Outbreaks Confirmed

29 May, 2003

The first outbreaks of potato blight in Ireland in 2003 have been reported on farms in Wexford, Kilkenny and Cork.

According to the Teagasc blight recording system, blight hit Cork on 6 May and spread to Wexford and south Kilkenny during the past week.

The Teagasc recording system tracks the initial outbreak of the disease in the different potato growing areas with the aim of helping growers to implement effective blight control programmes.

Dr Leslie Dowley, potato blight research specialist with Teagasc said the average date of outbreak of blight for main crop potatoes is in the latter half of July. However, for early crops in the south of the country, disease outbreak can be much earlier. Once blight has made its initial appearance, the further development of an epidemic is dependent on the control programme, variety, growth stage and the prevailing weather conditions.

All potato growing areas are being monitored by the potato inspectors of the Department of Agriculture and Food as well as the specialist potato advisers in Teagasc. When late blight is first identified in an area, the information is entered on a map so that the location and date of the outbreak is obvious at a glance. The map is up-dated on a weekly basis by Dr Dowley and colleagues at the Teagasc tillage research centre at Oak Park, Carlow.

The map for 2003 will be updated, throughout the summer and will enable growers to check if blight has been reported from their area.

The map for 2002 and 2001 outline the locations and dates of outbreaks in previous years.