Near the end of August, late blight was detected in one Norfolk county farmer’s potato field within a few Envol plants. The disease is under control as the affected plants were destroyed and the field was sprayed with Ridomil and Bravo. Why it matters: Late blight, caused by the fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora infestnas, is one […] Read more
Tag Archives Potato — page 2

Late blight in potatoes detected in Norfolk County
Harvest of potatoes will begin in earnest soon, but vigilance is still necessary

New sweet potato variety sees slow uptake
New, shorter season variety expected to displace imports over the long term, but this year’s launch was disappointing for its developer
Glacier FarmMedia – This year was scheduled to be the launch of a new sweet potato variety in Canada. The launch didn’t turn out quite as expected, as only a dozen acres were planted in 2019. The variety, called Radiance, is a short-season sweet potato that matures in 118 to 122 days, making it suitable […] Read more

Fungicide re-evaluation has growers looking for alternatives
PMRA re-evaluation of chlorothalonil will make it more difficult to use
Chlorothalonil, a broad-spectrum multi-site fungicide active ingredient found in horticulture fungicides, has been re-evaluated by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for all uses within agriculture and turf. It is part of PMRA protocol to re-evaluate pesticide products every 15 years, or sooner, as science evolves and new information, methodologies and approaches become available to […] Read more

Made-in-Ontario technology simplifies crop traceability
The RiteTrace system help to limit paper record-keeping and makes quality assurance easier
Technology developed by an Elmira-based company is breaking new ground in food safety, traceability and crop management for potato growers. RiteTrace is the latest application for the potato industry from Greentronics, which has also developed a boom height control system for potato harvesters that can be used on sprayers, as well as a yield mapping […] Read more

Protecting the health of the soil resource
Dutch farmers receive outside assistance to maintain a sustainable crop rotation on a small land base
Dutch potato farmer Gert-Jan van Dongen may not own the land he farms on but that isn’t stopping him from being concerned about its future. Van Dongen runs a potato farm near Zeewolde, Netherlands, but doesn’t own the land, instead renting it from the Dutch government. Land rents in the Netherlands average 791 euros per […] Read more