The unusually dry weather sweeping the nation could cause levels of a highly destructive potato disease to soar, the Potato Council has warned.
Potato scab causes rough 'scabs' on skins and costs the industry £4m a year in rejected potatoes. It is thought the disease is caused by bacteria that naturally occur in soil.
"For some reason, it likes dry conditions so the drier it is, the more it will thrive and possibly explode," said Potato Council technical executive Chris Steele.
Steele said it was still too early to quantify the scale of the scab threat this year but warned that in dry years the result could be "horrendous".
To control the threat, the council is advising growers to start irrigating crops earlier than they normally would as that is one of the most effective methods of control. Most supermarkets allow potatoes skins to have no more than 5% scab coverage.
Potato scab causes rough 'scabs' on skins and costs the industry £4m a year in rejected potatoes. It is thought the disease is caused by bacteria that naturally occur in soil.
"For some reason, it likes dry conditions so the drier it is, the more it will thrive and possibly explode," said Potato Council technical executive Chris Steele.
Steele said it was still too early to quantify the scale of the scab threat this year but warned that in dry years the result could be "horrendous".
To control the threat, the council is advising growers to start irrigating crops earlier than they normally would as that is one of the most effective methods of control. Most supermarkets allow potatoes skins to have no more than 5% scab coverage.
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