Archive for the ‘Diseases’ Category

The Real Cause of the Great Irish Famine

by Annette Welsford No Comments
07 12Famine memorial Dublin

Commonly referred to as The Great Hunger, Ireland’s horrific famine of the 1840s ranks as one of the very worst tragedies in the history of mankind. It is a well-known fact that the massive failure of Ireland’s potato crops from 1845 to 1849 was caused by a fungus (Phytophthora infestans) that generated blight. At the time, ...

21st Century Infectious Potato Disease

by Annette Welsford No Comments
05 12Dickeya in Potato2

A really nasty seed-borne bacterial blackleg disease, Dickeya solani is causing concern to potato farmers. First identified in Holland in 2005, Dickeya solani is an aggressive form of another type of blackleg disease, Dickeya dianthicola that has established itself in several countries in Europe, including Spain, France and Belgium, as well as in Finland and Poland. It has also spread to the ...

Wild Potatoes are being used to Develop Commercial Potatoes that will Resist Disease

by Annette Welsford 1 Comment
geneticists2010 wild potoatoes2

With potatoes being the number one veggie crop in the USA, it's not surprising that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has dedicated a lot of time and money to doing all it can to develop potatoes that will resist the typical diseases that attack potatoes. It's not just the damage from potato diseases that ...

Development of Disease- and Pest-Resistant Potatoes

by Annette Welsford No Comments
USDA potatoes1

All living organisms are prone to certain diseases, not least of which is the humble potato which, by the way, is the fourth largest crop in the world after wheat, rice and corn! In fact the potato is prone to so many different diseases, and is attacked by so many lethal pests, that horticulturists have ...

Why You Should Grow Disease Resistant Potatoes

by Annette Welsford 2 Comments
01 12potdig400x276

The great Irish famine of the mid-19th century shows us how vulnerable potatoes can be when it comes to disease. Potato blight, caused by a rampant fungus caused a massive crop failure throughout Ireland, leading to famine and starvation. Many of those who survived the famine decided to emigrate to far-off lands like North America and ...