‘Late blight’ is still the biggest threat to Irish potato crop

The same microbe that caused the Great Famine of 1845 continues to pose a biotic risk today

More than 175 years ago it was the root cause of Ireland’s Great Famine, a period of mass starvation and a cultural watershed during which more than a million people died and a further million left the country in a crisis which changed the face of this country forever.

Today, Ireland has recovered from the ravages of the terrible years between 1845 and 1852 — yet, scientists warn, that same microbe, Phytophthora Infestans, still continues to pose a serious biotic threat to global potato crops, with intensive fungicide programmes rigorously implemented for its control on an annual basis.