US: WSU releases 2018 growing season potato pest alert, probability of late blight relatively high

Washington State University has released their third potato pest alert which included an insect monitoring report and a potato disease report for the 2018 growing season. WSU Potato alerts come in part from the Washington Potato Commission based out of the Columbia Basin. According to the report, beet leafhoppers (BLH) are a continuingly increasing pest in the across the Columbia Basin. Beet leafhoppers are important to potato pests because they can transmit phytoplasma (BLTVA) that causes purple top disease. No potato psyllid have been found yet but the report says it was announced that they have found one in southern Idaho. Psyllid don’t normally show up until late May or early June. Dr. Dennis Johnson says that it will be a hefty season for late blight in the Columbia Basin. “Currently, the probability of late blight occurring in the Columbia Basin this growing season is above 90 percent. This is relatively high,” the report stated. Read more