The Department of Agriculture is once again offering a plant disease diagnostic service for the agriculture industry. This service is available to all potato producers as well as other commodity producers. It provides clients with advice and assistance in identifying problems, providing information to control them if possible and to prevent any recurrence. Most of the crops dealt with include potatoes, cereals, fruit crops and cole crops.
Diagnoses are based on a combination of visual examination of symptoms, microscopic observation and culturing onto artificial media. During the 2009-2010 potato growing and storage seasons, the lab identified the incidence of late blight in the samples submitted. Other common potato diseases identified during that time included Fusarium dry rot, leak, pink rot and bacterial blackleg. This service is a valuable service to all Prince Edward Island producers. It is free of charge.
Producers can submit samples directly to the Plant Disease Diagnostic laboratory at the Potato Services building in Kensington, or at any of the Access P.E.I. offices. Disease diagnosis can usually be determined within a week. For potato foliar diseases, such as late blight, the turn around time is immediate to 24 hours depending on the sample submitted.
To submit a sample, a diagnostic form should be completed and attached to the sample. These forms can be obtained from the Department of Agriculture web site at www.gov.pe.ca/agriculture/index.php3?number=70574 or at your local Access P.E.I. office.
“Using the plant diagnostic service can take the guesswork out of solving problems” says plant diagnostician Marleen Clark. “An accurate disease diagnosis can then be correctly treated. In the end, an effective treatment can save producers money.”
For more information, contact Marleen Clark at (902) 836-8922 or email at mmclark@gov.pe.ca.