Dr Eugenia Banks, potato specialist working with the Ontario Potato Board in eastern Canada, yesterday took a video of one of several spore trap devices in operation in the region. Click on the picture below to watch the short video (30 seconds).
Earlier this week Dr Banks reported in her regular email newsletter that most of the fields in central Ontario that were planted in early May are filling the rows, and she said tuber size is good so far.
Poor potato emergence was noticeable in a few fields. Banks suggests that possible causes of poor emergence are crusted soil, differences seed vigour, cold temperatures and frost damage. In mid-May parts of Ontario saw temperatures drop below freezing on some nights, prompting frost concerns for many vegetable farmers. In other jurisdictions, Banks says, glyphosate carry-over in seed is being investigated as the cause of poor emergence in fresh market potatoes.
More Colorado potato beetles seen by scouts
In her newsletter, Dr Banks mentioned that more Colorado potato beetles (CPBs) than usual are observed by potato scouts in Ontario. She asks:
