• Question: What is your approach to tackling the disease killing the roots of potato plants?q

    Asked by themaxassin to Eoin on 17 Mar 2011.
    • Photo: Eoin Lettice

      Eoin Lettice answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      Hi themaxassin,
      Thanks for your questions.
      The pest lives in the soil and hatches out and attacks the plants when it senses that potato plants are in the soil. My approach is using bacteria and fungi that trick the pest (the potato cyst nematide) into hatching even when the potato is around. So, the nematode hatches and it starves because there is no food.
      We’re making some good progress with this approach and it’s a really interesting thing to study!
      Eoin

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