01/08/08 Norkotah's and PVY, part two

Researchers have found a dramatic increase in Potato Virus Y in Norkotah potatoes to a point where seed production from last year is way down. Seed potato specialist Phil Nolte of the University of Idaho says Norkotah's are susceptible to PVY where varieties like Russet Burbank are not. NOLTE "Susceptibility may have to do with how the plants look to the aphids or how they smell to the aphids. Aphids are very much influenced by visual and olfactory clues when they go looking for a potential home." Nolte says there is no effective control. Aphids move from plant to plant and as more Norkotah's were planted more PVY was detected. NOLTE "So the aphid has the type of feeding apparatus that can puncture through the cell wall and cell membrane into the contents of the cell to feed and in so doing it will spread the virus." So what happens with the Norkotah variety if it's susceptible to PVY? What's its future? Nolte says he can't answer that question. NOLTE "I think that we have alternatives and certainly the breeding projects all over the country are constantly on the looking for something that could replace the Norkotah as an early Russet." Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott