john west wrote:

At our allotment there seems to be some confusion over what to do with
the woody stems of potato plants when they are finished with.

I have read that blight does not persist in compost or soil -
overwintering on live material and coming in on the wind.

Before burning they need to be dried out. Some are saying a special
drying place should be constructed for this drying purpose.

I have often wondered if there is any evidence that burning diseased
plant material in an open domestic bonfire is less likely to spread the
spores/whatever than composting. Not to mention whether it is something
people should even bother thinking about with diseases which are so
ubiquitous like blight, blackspot, brown rot and mildew.

Peter