Australian potato growers warned to beware of imported seed stock contaminated with Potato virus Y

Australian potato growers need to be wary of a destructive virus that can reduce yield by up to 80 per cent, according to a visiting international expert. Potato virus Y has devastated markets overseas and is threatening seed production in South Australia and Victoria. Professor Alexander Karasev, from the University of Idaho, is regarded as the international authority on the virus. Potato virus Y is an aphid-transmitted pathogen that is generally spread through seed stock. More