Yearly Archives: 2015
Plants, Water, and Landscapes
When it is warm and dry, you have probably noticed that plants require a lot of water to stay healthy, but did you know that only 10% of the water a plant receives actually remains inside of it to support life processes? Plants lose the…
Water – The Critically Important Resource for our Nation’s Food Security
In this current blog series we have been featuring graduate student research on potatoes in Wisconsin, and so far we have covered research in plant breeding, seed production and pest management. We are concluding this student series with 4 blogs on a topic that has…
The Battle against Late Blight, From the Irish Potato Famine to the New Millennium
While hard to believe, the Late Blight pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s and 1850s and caused the starvation deaths and forced migration of hundreds of thousands across Europe, is still a major concern in food production worldwide. The fungus-like organism,…
Responsible Pest Management—A Continually Evolving Challenge!
Protecting precious crops from hungry insect pests has been one of the greatest challenges to farming since the development of agriculture. Until the introduction of synthetic insecticides in the 20th century, there was little that could be done. For many years, farmers lived in fear…
Combating the Colorado Potato Beetle—The Master of Adaptability
Anyone who has tried to grow their own tasty potatoes has probably run into the ravages of the dreaded ‘potato bug,’ which often devours your potato vines before your tubers even had a chance! This black and yellow striped adult beetle (and its brick red,…
Potato D.C. Fly-In
Each February, potato growers and industry leaders from across the country descend upon the nation’s capital as part of NPC’s Potato D.C. Fly-In. This annual meeting is designed to give participants a chance to better understand and advocate for the industry’s most pressing federal policy…
IPM – Continuously improving the way we manage pests on our potatoes!
Integrated Pest Management – or IPM for short – sounds big and combative, but in reality, it is a basic concept that has become a part of the fabric of agriculture that helps farmers limit pest populations (insects, weeds and diseases) and prevent pests from…
