Idaho grower experimenting with mineral oil in potato seed

Eastern Idaho farmer Clen Atchley is conducting an experiment in his seed potato fields to determine if mineral oil can effectively protect his crops from diseases spread by aphids. He may start using mineral oil routinely if winter seed-certification testing in Hawaii confirms the 130 acres he sprayed this season with the low-cost protectant harbor less virus than his other seed fields. Though Atchley is a pioneer with the product in his home state, mineral oil has become a ubiquitous tool among Montana’s early generation potato seed growers in recent years. More