Late blight continues to spread in Southern Idaho

Late blight is beginning to spread in Southern Idaho. This season’s first infection was reported July 10 in a Bingham County field near Blackfoot. Samples from three additional fields in Minidoka County were confirmed as positive on July 21, and another Bingham County field, located in the Aberdeen area, tested positive on July 24, said crop scientist Jeff Miller, with Rupert-based Miller Research. Miller ran a model early this season that predicted a high likelihood of late blight infections throughout Idaho potato country this season, based primarily on wet May weather and the presence of spores last fall in the Blackfoot area. Those spores may have survived the winter on volunteer potatoes or cull piles. More