News

Two reports of potato late blight reported in Wisconsin

A University of Wisconsin plant pathologist confirms that two cases of potato late blight were found Thursday.  Dr. Amanda Gevens says with the recent cloudy weather, “People were nervous about it and looking hard for late blight and did find it.  It was found just in these two fields and very isolated sections of these two fields.”

Gevens tells Brownfield the growers found late blight in Adams and Marquette counties, but she doesn’t expect major losses.  “To see late blight at all is tough, but to see it this late in the season is actually less of a risk to the crop.”

Gevens says the fields where isolated late blight was found are less than a week from harvest.  She says outside of the occasional blackleg and the problems from a wet spring, potato disease pressure has been pretty low this year.

A report from Michigan State University also says there are some potato late blight cases in northern Illinois.