![]() The latest situation with regard to the dominant strains of blight can be found on the Euroblight website. Visit the British Potato Variety Database for more information. Some old favourites are very susceptible, eg ‘Arran Pilot’, ‘King Edward’, ‘Majestic’, ‘Sharpe’s Express’. These cultivars are not completely immune, so may still develop blight if prolonged favourable conditions for the disease occur, but not to the same extent as susceptible cultivars. There are, however, still cultivars currently thought to show good resistance to the disease, including Athlete, Alouette, Carolus and the Sarpo cultivars (e.g. In the past some potato cultivars had shown limited resistance, these included ‘Cara’, ‘Kondor’, ‘Orla’, ‘Markies’ and ‘Valor’, but this is not currently effective. The genetic population of the blight pathogen is ever-changing and recent research has shown that new strains seem to have overcome the resistance previously exhibited by some cultivars. Operate a rotation to reduce the risk of potential infection from soil-borne resting spores (see ‘Biology’ section, below), ideally of at least four years (also avoid growing tomatoes in the soil during this period)ĭestroy all potatoes left in the soil, and any waste from storage, before the following spring Check any stored tubers regularly for decay Use the tubers from blighted crops as soon as possible, and avoid storing them if at all possible. To prevent slug damage avoid leaving tubers in the soil after this time When the skin on tubers has hardened, after about two weeks, the tubers can be dug up. When infection levels reach about 25 percent of leaves affected or lesions appear on stems cut off the foliage (haulm), severing the stalks near soil level and raking up debris. Picking off leaves or leaflets when just a few are affected may slow down the progress of the disease very slightly, but will not eradicate the problem Gardeners are able to access forecasts of when blight will be active in their region, check if there have been previous instances of favourable weather for the disease, or see if there have been confirmed cases - visit the BlightSpy website, developed for professional growers but providing useful information for gardeners However, early cultivars are still genetically susceptible to the disease, so if weather conditions mean that the disease gets going early in the summer they could still be affected first-early cultivars) are more likely to escape infection, as levels of the disease tend to increase as summer progresses. Infected material should be deeply buried (below the depth of cultivation), consigned to the local council green waste collection or burned, rather than composted (see 'Biology' section, below)Įarthing up potatoes well provides some protection to the tubers from blight spores washed down into the soil from lesions on the leaves or stemsĮarly-harvested potatoes (e.g. RHS Flower Show Tatton Park - TBC July 2024.RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival - 2–7 July 2024. ![]() RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show - 5–10 September 2023.RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show - 18–20 August 2023.RHS Garden Hyde Hall Flower Show - 2–6 August 2023. ![]()
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