Handouts from the 2021 Miller Research Potato Pest Management Seminars

Handouts from the 2021 Miller Research Potato Pest Management Seminars

Miller Research LLC held its annual potato pest management seminar as a series of virtual meetings on February 16, 18, 23, and 25, 2021. Thank you to all who attended, participated, and provided feedback. Handouts of the PowerPoint presentations and links to the recordings are provided here.


Managing Fusarium Dry Rot
Options for managing Fusarium dry rot in the seed and at harvest, including seed handling, seed treatment, variety susceptibility, and post-harvest fungicide use.


Rhizoctonia Canker and Black Scurf
We discussed the importance of seed- and soil-borne inoculum and the effect of seed treatments and in-furrow fungicides on disease development.


Powdery Scab and PMTV
Symptoms of powdery scab and PMTV were discussed, along with the challenges associated with management recommendations for minimizing scab and PMTV symptoms.
Link to Recording
Recording password: pW2!j2Bw


Managing Pink Rot and Pythium Leak
Management options for pink rot and leak are presented. New research on the relationship between phosphite application and irrigation timing, along with optimal phosphite timing based on plant growth stage was also shown.
Link to Recording
Recording password: m=j$iK2s


Foliar Disease Management and Managing Fungicide Resistance
We offered a virtual tour of the 2020 variety trial, showing the relative susceptibility of common russet cultivars to early blight/brown spot and white mold. We also discussed the strengths of different fungicide programs, emphasizing the importance of proper use to avoid the development of fungicide resistance.
Link to Recording
Recording password: c3K+dig3

Common Pests of Potatoes

Common Pests of Potatoes

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the Utah State University Vegetable IPM Winter Webinar Series (January 20, 2021). Nick Volesky and I talked about common insect and disease problems of potatoes. It wasn’t possible to discuss all diseases, or spend a lot of time on the diseases we did discuss, but we were able to give a thumbnail view of some common diseases. We briefly covered the following topics:

  • The role of seed certification
  • The importance of quarantines, eradication, sanitation, fertility, and proper irrigation
  • Fusarium dry rot
  • Rhizoctonia canker and black scurf
  • Late blight
  • Early blight
  • White mold
  • Pink rot
  • Pythium leak

A handout of the meeting slides is available here: Common_Pests_of_Potato_Diseases

The video of the meeting is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A9sey8av5k

Potato Disease Quiz

Potato Disease Quiz

Thank you to all who participated in the Potato Disease Quiz at the Idaho Potato Conference on January 22 and 23, 2020 in Pocatello, ID. Two people achieved a perfect score! Congratulations to Alan Malek and Shelbie Anderson and they were the winners of the Cabela’s gift cards sponsored by Gowan. Thank you to our sponsor and thanks to all those who participated!

2020 Idaho Potato Conference Disease Quiz

Answers to the quiz

Handouts from the Miller Research Potato Pest Management Seminar

Miller Research LLC held its annual potato pest management seminar on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, at the Historic Wilson Theater in Rupert, ID. Thank you to all who attended!

Disease Susceptibility in Russet Potato Cultivars
Eight varieties were evaluated for susceptibility to Fusarium dry rot, Rhizoctonia canker, powdery scab, early blight/brown spot, white mold, pink rot, and Pythium leak both with and without fungicides. This presentation shares the results collected to date.

Fungicides for Foliar Disease Management
This presentation showed results from 2019 fungicide trials targeting early blight, brown spot, white mold, and black dot. The current status of resistance to these fungicides an Alternaria solani was addressed.

Everyone Loses from Potato Bruises
What management practices contribute most to reducing bruise? Dr. Nora Olsen discussed field, tuber, and impact contributors to blackspot and shatter bruise and the implications on disease development (e.g. Pythium leak and Fusarium dry rot) and quality issues.

Late Blight – The Irish Potato Famine is Still with Us!
Late blight was reported in 2019. What are the chances we will see it in 2020? This presentation discussed the impact of the 2019 outbreak and measures to avoid disease in 2020.

Pink Rot Management
Some relatively new fungicides have been labeled for pink rot control. This presentation shared results from 2019 trials, provided the results of fungicide resistance monitoring in 2019, and showed how the interval between phosphite application and irrigation can affect phosphite fungicide performance.