Michigan, the nation’s leading producer of potatoes for potato chips, faces a threat from potato early die complex, a disease that affects up to 46,000 acres of crops annually, as Ashley Zhou reports in a news story published by Bridge Michigan.
The disease, caused by a symbiosis of root nematodes and a fungus, verticillium dahliae, leads to wilted potato leaves and can cost farms like Walther Farms up to $500 per acre.
Current treatments involve costly and environmentally damaging pesticides. The fumigants currently used are short-term treatments that produce a quick and beneficial return but may reduce soil quality over years of reapplication.
Source: potatonewstoday.com
Photo Credit: istock-martijnvandernat
Categories: Michigan, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables