Have your say on new potato cyst nematode management guidelines

British potato growers and agronomists are invited to have their say on the structure and information included in a new guide for controlling their number-one pest – potato cyst nematode (PCN). A PCN management guide was released by Maff – Defra’s former guise – in 1999 as a response to the rise of a more virulent PCN species, Globodera pallida. G. pallida has now reached epidemic levels across Britain, largely due to the majority of commercial potato varieties susceptible to the species, allowing the pest to multiply. The loss of chemical control options and the slow adoption of cultural controls such as longer rotations and resistant varieties are also fuelling the problem. More