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Hi All,

I have now lifted two of my blight ridden main crop rows. I did not expect much as main crop potatoes are only beginning to increase in size at this time of year.

However I went through the motions of assessing the inoculated and non-inoculated % in growth.

The Cara inoculated were 46% greater than the non-inoculated, which was in keeping with last years results. However I think that this would have been much higher if they had gone full term.

The Ratte inoculated were 43% greater than the non-inoculated, I like the look of this potato, it has none of the knobbly protrusions of Pink Fir Apple. I will definitely cultivate this potato next season as there were many marble sized small tubers which would have gone on to produce a really good crop.

My Congo blue were sprouting new foliage, but I lifted them anyway. As expected I got no crop worth the mention. The largest tubers were the size of gooseberries and the smallest the size of blueberries.

What was interesting was the root system, it is reminiscent of couch grass being a mass of long strong pure white tendrils. I can see this potato being worthy of cultivating again, however it requires early planting, and I believe, a long season of growth to produce a good crop.

I could have kept the gooseberry sized tubers for next season but was mindful that late blight does infect tubers so will dispatch them to the fire.

I will be burning all of the halums and roots of my potatoes along with the immature sized tubers as a means of ensuring that all diseased growth and root is dispatched to a fiery grave!!!


Uriel13

The mind is like a parachute its totally useless unless open