No late blight detected on PEI
Prince Edward Island potato yields could be down slightly this year, but no late blight has been reported.
A dry, windy July could affect yields on the 2016 PEI crop, said Brian Beaton, potato coordinator for the Prince Edward Island Department of Agriculture.
"It put a little stress on the crop," Beaton said Aug. 30. "Plants started to wilt a little bit. But we've had a number of rains the past couple of weeks, and things look a lot better."
In addition to yields, the dry spell this summer could affect shape, with more spuds coming out pear-shaped, Beaton said. Scabbing also could be an issue.
Wayne Thompson, general manager for Garden Isle Farms, Albany, Prince Edward Island, said volumes could be down on some mid-season spuds due to the summer dry spell.
He was more optimistic that late-season varieties would have normal yields.
"We'll probably be slightly below average," Thompson said. "What I've seen of the sets, they seem normal."
Garden Isle expects to begin digging the week of Sept. 26, he said.
While the central part of the island, which accounts for about half of all production, suffered dry conditions, the western and eastern regions received adequate moisture, said Greg Donald, general manager of the Charlottetown-based Prince Edward Island Potato Board.
"The dry weather took the big crop away, but there's a still a chance of an average crop, and quality should be good," he said.
About 89,000 acres of potatoes were planted this year, 500 less than in 2015, Donald said.
One good thing about the dry weather, Beaton said, has been low disease pressure.
"We haven't found any late blight," he said.
Harvest should begin in the last week of September, with russets following at the beginning of October, Beaton said.
Processing markets may take a slightly higher percentage of the crop this year, Beaton said, with about 30% going to the fresh market.
PEI's fresh-crop mix of russets, yellows, reds and whites should remain fairly steady, with the trend of fewer white potatoes continuing.
"Some people are looking at new yellow varieties, but we're still mostly russets," he said.
Thompson also reported a "slight" shift from whites to colored varieties, but for the most part, Garden Isle's varietal mix should be similar to last year.
On Aug. 30, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a price of $8 for 50-pound cartons of russet 40-70s from Idaho, down from $11-12 last year at the same time.
