May 30, 2018Potato psyllid monitoring underway in Idaho
The University of Idaho, in collaboration with Miller Research and crop consultants across the state will continue its monitoring program for potato psyllids, zebra chip, and liberibacter, the bacterium that causes zebra chip. The monitoring program covers commercial potato fields throughout southern Idaho and currently is funded in part by USDA.
The first deployment of sticky cards occurred in 17 Treasure Valley sites and 21 Magic Valley sites. The program expects to initiate sampling in eight more Treasure Valley fields and 17 additional fields in the Magic Valley.
This week the first sticky cards of the season were also collected from potato fields. No potato psyllids were found in potato fields last week.
More details will be forthcoming as the program continues to ramp up sampling efforts. The university said it hopes to maintain a monitoring program at a level similar to recent years, but the breadth of the program this year will depend on funding that is still pending.
More information and resources on potato psyllids and zebra chip, including management and scouting recommendations, can be found at http://www.uidaho.edu/cals/potatoes/news/psyllid-management.
