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Potatoes and Late Blight

• Message 1. 

  Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Tuesday, 25th October 2011

  On my allotment in Oxford we have had a perfect year for potatoes, frost free spring, moisture when needed and no incidence of late blight. This has been fortuitous because last year I decided to grow extra potatoes for this year.
  
  However it could of all been different, I had chosen amongst five varieties Sarpo Mira which is not the most popular potato, but no matter how big they grow, having a flat shape they are easy to microwave? Some of the Cara's have come up like footballs and require long slow heat to reach the centre!
  
  The reason I had decided to grow extra potatoes was because I was so dissatisfied with a sack of locally grown potatoes which had such poor taste and had an unpleasant aura. So I was interested when the subject of potatoes came up at a lecture at the Botanic Garden recently.
  
  It was confirmed that commercially grown potatoes require regular spraying of fungicide and I believe they have their foliage knocked off with 'Roundup'. This means a lot of pesticide, all to control the dreaded late blight.
  
  So it was interesting to hear of a blight resistant potato variety, apparently the reason potatoes have such susceptibility to blight is that they come from South America. Blight originated in Mexico so in nature they never mixed. However research found a native Mexican potato relative (Solanum venturii) which could resist blight. This would not cross with a potato by flowers, however the desirable characteristic can be transferred by the equally dreaded genetic modification.
  
  Personally I think such crops should not be dismissed without fair trial, from an allotment point of view much would depend on their flavour. Less pesticide in the environment, better and cheaper food in shops would be a huge benefit to society. What are your views, would you grow or eat them?
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Jasmin (U14270220) on Tuesday, 25th October 2011

  I made the very bad mistake a couple of seasons ago of buying seed, etc. that had all been heat-treated / resistant to various things, according to crop.
  
  It was a bad idea because, apparently, the treatment kills off much potential growth! Only about 1/3 of each crop (about 30 different crops) came up. One crop (a variety of spinach) didn't come up at all. One crop of courgettes died on planting out. Even crops I'd bought as plugs either didn't take or withered & died pretty rapidly. The potatoes only produced a handful each, not much more than were seeded in the first place!
  
  I had thought to save money in the long run but, not only were they vastly more expensive in the first place, I had to replace easily half with cheapy cheap seeds!
  
  The best potatoes I have ever grown are those I had bought to eat from a supermarket & let go manky in the back of the fridge. Say no more!

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by farmerSteve (U2644680) on Wednesday, 26th October 2011

  Strangely in my garden we had no blight either until about 2 weeks ago
  I do not grow maincrop as I feel the work is not worth the effort when they are available so cheaply locally
  I grow all earlies which are far more susceptible than many
  it is just pure luck I had no blight
  I have never heard anyone say anything positive about the Sarpo varieties except they dont get blight
  
  I grow veg to eat and I am prepared to put lot of work in to get the best and certainly dont want to grow something no one wants to eat
  
  I used to grow a large acreage of potatoes every year and it is true we had to spray very extensively for blight
  it is a fact that you have to spray before the blight enters the crop so you cannot escape using sprays unless you have a huge amount of luck.
  I have sprayed Cara 15 times for blight even though we used forecasting services to determine the blight risk
  You must never use roundup for haulm destruction as the tubers would die and rot in store
  Diquat is virtually the only product available today combined with haulm destruction by flailing both of which have there own problems
  I would have welcomed the use of GM potatoes and other crops the reduction in chemical use in agriculture would be dramatic
  but we have to have consumer acceptance of new technology
  unfortunately some misguided people have allowed the scientific arguments to be side tracked completely
  This has had a terrible effect on the science and technology industry in this country
  Britain was the leading country in the world in this technology and this huge industry worth hundreds of Billions of pounds a year has been lost to the USA and now increasingly India and china
  We developed the first crops and products remember the tomato paste in the eighties
  This industry which would have been highly regulated instead now relies for future development in countries with no history of regulation and a total disregard for human life and safety
  I am very sorry that a few scientifically illiterate protestors have been able to put us in this situation, but I have total contempt for the politicians who could have provided the leadership required.
  Instead we are guided by a bunch of newspapers who will print anything as long as they can find some idiot to quote so they cannot be sued personally.
  I was amused to be discussing this in a hotel in america with a bunch of Brits and americans
  The brits were horrifed to reralise everything they had been eating in the last fews days was mainly GM and the Americans totally bemused to consider there was anything wrong with the food and GM does not even enter their thoughts

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Wednesday, 26th October 2011

  Thanks, the reason I was led to believe Roundup was used on the foliage, was from a conversation on the allotment. An elderly plotholder was able get to Roundup from a farmer to spray his weeds in the autumn when it is most effective. Considering that the rest of us would have to pay B&Q £40 for a similar amount it was a generous gift. Making a few enquiries as they were all relatives, the answer I was given was that the farmers were given the herbicide to knock the foliage off their potatoes by the government. So that is obviously not the right story?
  
  All in all my point remains, whether you find your seed potatoes from a derilict bag in the fridge, or a seed specialist. The public deserve to make their choices from taste and experience.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by farmerSteve (U2644680) on Thursday, 27th October 2011

  Roundup is very good product for killing weeds but must never be used on potato foliage.
  I do not believe any chemical is available for the gardener
  but do not despair just cut the tops off and do not lift any for keeping till there is no sign of any greenstuff
  This is critical in a commercial store as one blight infected potato in a 5000 ton store will be sufficent to destroy the lot
  I can assure you the government does not hand out any free chemicals to farmers but the price the pay for a hundred litres of concentrate is negligable to the cost that you pay for a few millilitres in B&Q
  
  currently commercail prices for generic roundup are about £2 -2.50 a litre
  the genuine product about £3.00
  
  it is illegal for a farmer to sell or give any chemicals to gardeners or allotmenteers but certain products can be bought at farmers stores for vastly reduced rates compared to B&Q I think roundup is one and can be bought in litre bottles in some places or Ebay
  

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by ageing_hippie (U6742113) on Thursday, 27th October 2011

  I don't know why everyone is rude about Sarpo Mira. I've grown them every year since they were introduced. In bad blight years they have been the only ones that produced a crop. They produce heavy yields of big spuds that store well and are versatile in cooking. The flavour is mild but I don't mind that.

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• Message 7

  , in reply to message 6.

  Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Thursday, 27th October 2011

  Well let's hope the farmers have had a good year too, and there are plenty of good quality potatoes for sale, organic or not. Next year may not be so kind, which is why the politicians etc. should get into gear and give people more choice. For some Adam and Eve must never be manipulated, others see varieties as a means to an end. There is no evidence of a wild potato in this country and all 'seed' is produced vegetatively, so a fungicide free potato has much to offer gardeners and the public alike?

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