November 9, 2017
University of Maine staff are working to address Dickeya, a recent and potentially “devastating bacterial disease in Maine seed potatoes.” Projects are being conducted in Maine and in collaboration with colleagues in other states. We have been successful in pursuing funding opportunities and hope to have news soon on additional pending grants.
Some of the efforts include:
- Chemical control of Enterobacteria
• Identifying seed lots with Enterobacteria
• Enterobacteria spread and epidemiological studies
• Enterobacteria identification
• Enterobacteria pathogenicity
• Enterobacteria levels in a seed lots related to stand loss
• Movement of Enterobacteria in a seed system
• Postharvest test for the presence of • Enterobacteria
Results from these studies will be presented at the 2017 Dickeya and Pectobacterium Summit November 9, 2017. The summit will be your chance to hear about improvements in the dormant tuber post-harvest test, among other topics.
For interest, please see a bulletin #482 entitled: “Factors Affecting Potato Blackleg and Seed Piece Decay.”
The Introduction has this sentence:
“State potato seed certification officials discriminate against the presence of blackleg and many buyers refuse to purchase seed stocks known to have even a small percentage of the disease.”
By the way, the bulletin was from 67 years ago, May 1950.
To register for this meeting and for additional information go to: https://extension.umaine.edu/agriculture/programs/dickeya-and-pectobacterium-summit/