Warm, dry weather contains blight

11 August 1997

Warm, dry weather contains blight

FWi staff

WARM, drying weather over the weekend has contained the UKs blight epidemic. This years potato crop might escape unscathed if the weather stays fine, according to the British Potato Council.

Council market information manager Rob Burrows said although blight was widespread, British potato farmers were on top of the situation with crop-monitoring programmes, early burning off and spraying.

Mr Burrows said the councils field officers had reported that the early varieties were yielding 5-6t/ha higher than last year, and that the season should bode well for the later main varieties as long as August and September remain relatively dry.

“Its too early to assess yields from the main varieties, but this year the growing conditions have been pretty good,” he said.