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P.E.I. potato industry asks gardeners to be on the lookout for blight
July 28, 2023 By Potatoes in Canada
Potato industry officials on P.E.I. are asking home gardeners to check their plants for a potentially damaging pest.
As reported by CTV News Atlantic, the Prince Edward Island Potato Board says conditions this year have been just right for late blight.
It’s a fungal infection of the leaves and other greenery of a number of plants: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and, most importantly, potatoes.
The general manager Greg Donald says there’s no blight detected on P.E.I. yet, and they’d like to keep it that way.
“Because this, potentially can be a quite damaging disease if it takes hold in a farm, and especially in a large commercial field.”
Late blight thrives in the wet conditions that characterized the late spring and early summer this year.
Donald says blight hasn’t been found on the island for years, but late blight is the same pest which caused the Irish potato famine, so they’re not taking any chances.
They’re asking anyone who suspects there might be late blight in their garden or field to contact Department of Agriculture officials immediately.
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