Potato cyst nematodes in Scotland - where are we now and where are we heading

摘要

Since the introduction of statutory PCN testing prior to seed potato production, a record of infested land in Scotland has been kept by SASA. Estimates suggest that the total area infested with PCN is now over 13% of the area regularly planted with potatoes. Seed potatoes cannot be grown on land recorded as infested and ware potatoes can only be produced under an officially approved control programme. In recent years the incidence of Globoderapallida has increased markedly. Statutory testing data collected by SASA shows that the area of land recorded as infested with G. pallida, currently 6,200 ha, is currently doubling every 7-8 years, whilst the area of land infested with G. rostochiensis is relatively static at c. 14,500 ha. In the 1970s, findings of G. pallida represented 2-3% of the all PCN findings, whereas now they account for nearly 70%. At the current rate of increase, the widespread presence of G. pallida may prohibit the production of seed potatoes on PCN-free land in as little as 30 years' time. Within a project funded by Scotland's Plant Health Centre, we are undertaking a comprehensive sensitivity analysis to produce a robust model of PCN population development in Scotland. This should provide us with a better understanding of the development of PCN populations at a field level. Policy makers need better information on the future loses of seed land to PCN and the industry needs this information to avert the continuing loss of land free from infestation with G. pallida.