Project details
Status: Current
At a glance
- The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture is leading a project to better understand how soil-borne diseases that affect potatoes develop and change over time.
- The research will enable growers to make informed decisions about the efficient use of pesticides and improved, tailored disease control measures.
- The research team will also develop prediction and monitoring systems for major soil-borne diseases.
About the project
The Tasmanian potato industry relies on prophylactic pesticide applications to control disease, but it's not fully understood how soil-borne diseases develop and change over time. This project will investigate and model the dynamics of potato diseases to better inform grower decision making.
The project will investigate and model the dynamics of potato diseases to better inform grower decision making.
Potatoes are the most valuable sector of the Tasmanian vegetable industry, with a farmgate value of $370 million according to the Tasmanian Government's Agri-Food ScoreCard, a figure that grows significantly with value added processing. TIA researchers are focussed on key disease challenges for the Tasmanian and global potato industries.
The research
Disease predictive tools enable growers to make informed decisions about the efficient use of pesticides and improved, tailored disease control measures. This can increase the productivity and profitability of the Tasmanian potato industry, while decreasing food waste, pesticide use and environmental impacts. It can also provide a valuable tool for modelling the impact of future climate change.
The project will adapt and validate existing models under Tasmanian growing conditions for the two major foliar diseases (early and late blight) enabling foliar sprays to be targeted to critical infection periods.
The research team will then develop prediction and monitoring systems for key soil-borne diseases like powdery scab and pink rot for which there is currently little understanding of the dynamic drivers of disease development and little opportunity for strategic disease intervention.
Trials conducted
In 2024, the second season of field data was collated from across major production regions. Where foliar disease was noted, the models tested were able to determine major infection events.
Disease progression in potato roots were monitored providing the first data on dynamics of pink rot and powdery scab epidemics in commercial fields.
Association analyses showed initial pathogen inoculum to be a key drier of powdery scab, whilst soil moisture levels were critical for pink rot. Other soil parameters had varying impact on disease progression.
For more information contact:
Email Professor Calum Wilson