Late blight confirmed in 21 cases
CBC News
Posted: Aug 10, 2011 2:27 PM AT
Last Updated: Aug 10, 2011 2:27 PM AT
The 21 cases of blight confirmed so far this year is not considered high. CBC There are now 21 confirmed cases of late blight on P.E.I., including a first-time-ever case confirmed of blight in a rogue potato plant in a soy bean field.
The majority of cases are in potato fields in the western part of the province. The soy bean field case is in Forest Hill in the east. The potato plant would have grown from a potato left behind missed in last year's harvest.
Marleen Clark is plant disease diagnostician with the Department of Agriculture.
"There is a situation this year where we have quite a few volunteer potato plants in soy bean fields. And the one in the east is in fact that," Marlene Clark,
"This is the first year that we've seen this. Now with our winters, we're not getting a really good frost that actually would kill out some of the potatoes that fall out of the harvesters in the fall of the year when they dig the potatoes. So because of that, these potatoes are there for the next coming crop."
Clark said it's not advisable to plant soy beans in a field right after a potato crop.
While 21 cases of blight are confirmed, Clark said the number of unreported cases is probably much higher. She said the number of cases at this point is not unusually high.
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