04/04/07 PCN eradicatio program

Look for work to begin next month in seven potato fields near Shelley where the potato cyst nematode was discovered. Mike Cooper of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture says the program they've set up with federal officials is aimed an wiping out the nematodes. COOPER "We would ideally like to do a spring and fall eradication, fumigations and keep cover crops on everything. This may take a couple of years along with sampling and monitoring to look at the population levels." After the nematodes are no longer detected, dirt will be taken from hot spots, sent to the lab and potatoes will be grown in that soil for a couple of years to see if the pests return. COOPER "If that proves successful and they're negative then we can probably declare the thing is eradicated and let the growers go back to growing potatoes again." Dozens of people are involved in the PCN eradication effort which will include a lot of testing in the infected fields. COOPER "A generalized surveillance around the rest of the state. We're having some growers that have export opportunities or customer requests that want their fields checked. We're trying to do some general surveillance across the state to insure that we don't have another area." Cooper says six to ten years of hard work will be needed to take care of the potato cyst nematode and there's a chance they may never learn how it got into those Idaho fields. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott