Blight monitoring has identified the A2 blight strain, dubbed Blue 13 by researchers, now accounts for 79% of the blight population.

The rest of the blight population, save traces of other A2 strains, is made up of the previously dominant A1 type.

That population is now made up predominantly by a strain referred to as A1-6 or “Pink 6”, SCRI’s David Cooke says. “It represents 12% of the blight population. We first identified it in 2004 and its frequency has grown steadily since. It is the only A1 strain holding its own and, like Blue 13, Pink 6 appears to be pretty aggressive and fit.”