Potato Disease and Forecasting Information Delivery Harmonized Across International Borders with IMMPACT

Background

Potato late blight is caused by Phytophthora infestans, a plant pathogen that is unrivaled in widespread misery and despair over history. Maine and abutting Canadian provinces experienced potato late blight epidemics through most of the 1990's in a good portion of the 110,000 potato acres in the region. Potatoes are the main cash crop in the region, so crop losses are not offset by other farm income. Some years proved to be more devastating than others. The potato late blight epidemic during the 2004 crop season was particularly damaging. The Farm Service Agency paid out over 9 million dollars in crop disaster funds to Maine potato producers for the 2004 crop season (Anon, 2005).

Late blight has long been recognized as a community plant disease. What hadn't been promoted is harmonizing the region of Maine and Eastern Canadian provinces as a community to attack the spread of late blight. The areas within the region compete in the same seed, table stock, and processing markets. In the past, late blight did not stop at international political boundaries, but the transfer of information did. To our knowledge, this effort is a first in cooperation for potato information delivery in this region.

IMMPACT Initiation

The similar potato production issues and concerns fueled by late blight helped spawn the formation of IMMPACT (International Maine Maritime Potato ACtion Team) in December 2004. The working group was formed with stakeholder representation from Maine and mirrored from the Canadian Province of New Brunswick. Members included representatives from the following organizations (Table 1).

IMMPACT Results

Meetings about every 2 months, chaired by the respective commodity group representatives, focused on collaboration to effectively deliver late blight control information. University of Maine Cooperative Extension personnel played a lead role in establishing the late blight control recommendations and approaches to disease forecasting. As a result of the effort, 35 weather stations were purchased, installed, and operated in Canada with the same late blight prediction software as used on 17 identical weather stations in Maine (Johnson, 2005a). The same regulated date for mandatory covering of cull piles was used on both sides of the border.

Reporting of disease locations was changed to township/parish to be consistent in Maine and in New Brunswick. A Web site was developed to provide consistent and bilingual late blight resources (IMMPACT, 2005). An email listserv^® was established to rapidly deliver information to those supporting the potato industry in the region. Additionally, designated media contacts within the group were identified for scientific and for public outreach. All these efforts have served to harmonize the outreach efforts.

IMMPACT Information Delivery

During the 2005 growing season, the listserv^® was used as a regular communication link supplying unbiased information to the potato industry in the region. The list consisted of 84 individuals as listed in Table 2.

During the 2005 growing season, reports were about issued biweekly on the status of the crop and the late blight potential. Maine issued 33 reports, and New Brunswick issued 29 reports. To avoid commercial use of the system, only select few people were permitted to post information to the listserv^®.

Articles, specific for critical crop and disease control stages, were written and published locally (Johnson, 2005b-f). Late blight presence and disease forecasts were put on the evening television news biweekly.

Conclusions

While late blight did occur on both sides of the border during the 2005 crop season, those associated with the industry credit the efforts of all involved, including IMMPACT, with keeping the disease from escalating out of control. Moreover, communication was enhanced for all parties involved based on the rapid dissemination of information regarding the outbreaks and their spread and development via the listserv^®.

Although still competitors in markets, the potato industry on each side of the border needs the other to be healthy for infrastructure and critical mass in the global market. Scientific communication and real-time data sharing during the season were initiated. Those directly involved with IMMPACT benefited greatly from the association and increased communication.

The real winners in the late blight situation are those receiving better, timelier information about the current situation in both Maine and New Brunswick. Improved information delivery to clients improves the situation for everyone involved. We are not finished with late blight in Maine or elsewhere, but we are moving closer to being finished with the lack of information to our clients.

References

Anon. (2005). Fiscal year bulletin: Maine FY 2005 accomplishments. Maine Farm Service Agency Bulletin October 2005.

Johnson, S. B. (2005a). Late blight prediction in Maine. Bulletin #2418. Available at: http://www.umaine.edu/umext/potatoprogram/Fact%20Sheets/lateblightprediction.pdf

IMMPACT Web site. Available at: http://www.potatoimmpact.com/index.htm

Johnson, S. B. (2005b). Dealing with late blight in 2005: Handling and planting seed tubers. Maine Potato News 19(4).

Johnson, S. B. (2005c). Dealing with late blight in 2005: Planting seed tubers. Maine Potato News 19(5).

Johnson, S. B. (2005d). Dealing with late blight in 2005: Early emergence to 18 severity values. Maine Potato News 19(6).

Johnson, S. B. (2005e). Dealing with late blight in 2005: 18 severity values to late blight detected in the area. Maine Potato News 19(7).

Johnson, S. B. (2005f). Dealing with late blight in 2005: Late blight detected in the area to late blight detected on the farm. Maine Potato News 19(8).

Johnson, S. B. (2005g). Dealing with late blight in 2005: Late blight into potato storage. Maine Potato News 19(9).