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[1] India (Karnataka)
[2] Canada (multistate): alert

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[1] India (Karnataka)
Date: Sun 10 Aug 2008
Source: The Hindu [edited]
<http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/015200808101221.htm>

The former Congress Minister B Shivaram has appealed to the Union Government to set up a Potato Research Centre in Hassan [state of Karnataka] on the lines of the one in Shimla.

Addressing the press, Mr Shivaram said that potato crop on over 37 000 hectares (91 400 acres) of land in Hassan district had withered owing to blight disease. Poor quality of seed potatoes supplied by traders had to be blamed for the situation, he said.

If the centre was set up in Hassan, awareness could be created among farmers on prevention of such diseases and they could be supplied with quality seed potatoes.

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[2] Canada (multistate): alert
Date: Fri 8 Aug 2008
Source: The Daily Gleaner [edited]
<http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/378160>

Potato farmers warned of late blight threat

New Brunswick potato growers are battling a fungus striking the provincial potato crop due to steady rains and humidity throughout July [2008]. The good news is there are ways to battle late blight and salvage the crop, but it takes vigilant spraying and good sanitation techniques.

Provincial potato pathologist Dr Khalil Al-Mughrabi said late blight, caused by the fungus _Phytophthora infestans_, is the same disease that spawned the great Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s. Due to scientific advances, however, there are plenty of tools in a farmer's arsenal to combat the disease that attacks the roots, the leaves, and even the tubers of the potato plant, Al- Mughrabi said.

"If leaves are not protected and the (air-borne) fungus lands on these leaves and starts forming lesions, without the fungicide these lesions can expand and kill the leaves ... and the spores can wash down those leaves and go to the tuber and ... the tuber can rot in the ground," Al-Mughrabi said. "Most of our growers have the expertise to protect their crop against this from happening."

Al-Mughrabi said he has issued an official warning to the province's 200 or so potato producers that late blight is striking the fields, not only in New Brunswick but in Maine [USA] and Prince Edward Island as well.

Spraying potatoes is essential to control it, but with all the rain, spray can wash off, although Al-Mughrabi said there are newer "designer" fungicides that will still protect potatoes if some of the spray is washed into the soil. Late blight will also damage tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, petunias, bitter sweet, and hairy nightshade.

[Byline: Heather McLaughlin]

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[Potato late blight (PLB) is caused by the fungus _Phytophthora infestans_ and can cause 100 percent crop loss. It is spread by plant material (including seed tubers), wind, and water. Solanaceous weeds can serve as pathogen reservoirs. Other fungi and bacteria often invade blight-infected tubers resulting in total tuber breakdown.
Disease management includes preventative fungicide treatment of seed tubers and additional fungicide applications to the crop. In India, infected seed potatoes are often a problem, and cultivars with reduced sensitivity to PLB are being developed and distributed for national use.

PLB is considered an increasing threat worldwide because new and even more virulent pathogen strains continue to emerge. For more information on PLB see links and previous posts below.

Maps
India:
<http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/images/IndiaMap_tourism.gif>
and
<http://healthmap.org/promed?v=22.9,79.6,5>
Karnataka districts:
<http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/karnataka/karnataka.htm>
Canada:
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/americas/canada_pol_1986.gif> and <http://healthmap.org/promed?v=55.4,-101.9,4>

Pictures
Late blight on potato:
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2007/01/070102132649.jpg>  and
<http://www-biol.paisley.ac.uk/bioref/Chromista/potato_blight.jpg>
Tomato field destroyed by late blight:
<http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/BioSecurity/Images/lateblightbolkan.jpg>

Links
Late blight fact sheets:
<http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3102.html>  and <http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Potato_LateBlt.htm>
Disease history and background:
<http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/lateblit/>  and <http://www.olympusmicro.com/micd/galleries/brightfield/potatoblight.html>
Late blight information and resources via:
<http://www.potato.org.uk/department/knowledge_transfer/fight_against_blight/advice_blight.html>
_P. infestans_ taxonomy:
<http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NamesRecord.asp?RecordID=232148>
Global Initiative on Late Blight:
<http://gilb.cip.cgiar.org/>.  - Mod.DHA]