Scotland’s plant health authorities are introducing targeted post-harvest virus testing in seed potato crops of the variety Cara this year as part of a wider effort to tackle rising virus pressure and modernise the country’s plant health inspection system, as Adam Clarke reports in this Farmers Weekly article.
David Kenyon, Scotland’s chief plant health officer and head of science and advice for Scottish Agriculture (Sasa), suggests virus infection levels can rise sharply between the fourth and fifth field generations of seed crops.
Sasa’s testing efforts have focused on the seed production cycle to better understand where infection is escalating and remove it from the system.
“We’ve seen a sudden shift in virus levels between generations four and five and Cara is both the most widely grown variety and has a high propensity to potato leaf roll virus [PLRV].
“We are proposing targeted, post-harvest testing so we can better understand what is going on and support decision-making,” says David.
Source: Farmers Weekly. Read the full story here
Cover image: Credit GNP | FWI
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