Officials confirm potato pest finding in Idaho

A quarantined potato pest has been found in another field in Eastern Idaho.

The Capital Press reports that the 150-acre field was added to the pale cyst nematode eradication program on Dec. 21, bringing the total number of regulated fields to 27. The infested fields are managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Pale Cyst Nematode Program.

Program director Tina Gresham said in a press release that the field was already under special regulations and soil samples were being taken because it was known to be associated with an infested field.

PCN is a microscopic parasite that can reduce potato yields by up to 80 percent. It was first discovered in Idaho in 2006 and has been found in the area surrounding Bonneville and Bingham counties.

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Information from: The Capital Press (Ore.), http://www.capitalpress.com/washington