In the lead-up to Christmas last year, Australia had a major potato shortage. Experts claim that wet weather, floods and highly persistent fungal diseases were the main causes of the shortage. Effectively, growers in Tasmania were worst hit, with mainland growers in New South Wales and Victoria also being affected.
In the future, the Australian potato industry should be better prepared. Currently, research is being done on monitoring soil moisture and temperature levels. This knowledge could let growers respond quickly with fungicide or stopping irrigation to slow or prevent severe outbreaks.
Source: theconversation.com