The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has introduced a new in-state option for potato disease testing, reducing the need for growers to ship samples to out-of-state laboratories.
According to information from WILX, potato growers who export to Canada are required to have their potatoes tested for disease as part of the export process. In previous years, growers sent samples to North Dakota for this testing. With the opening of the new MDARD facility, testing is now available within Michigan.
The MDARD laboratory is offering free disease testing for Michigan potato growers. It is also one of only 10 laboratories in the United States that can test for bacterial ring rot, a regulated disease of concern in potato production.
Growers in the state now have access to faster testing and more localised diagnostics as they prepare potatoes for export and domestic movement.
Source: WNDU
