Russia is in the grip of a virulent new strain of the infamous potato late
blight. The original strain, which caused the 19th-century Irish potato famine,
was asexual, but more potent sexual strains reached Europe in 1976. The
aggressive new strains found in Russian soil samples “are virulent, resistant to
fungicides and are creating havoc”, says K. V. Raman, a plant pathologist at
Cornell University. Small Russian farms simply can’t afford the heavy doses of
fungicide needed to stop the blight.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New ÒÁÈ˾þÃ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New ÒÁÈ˾þà articles
1
A volcano has erupted remnants of Earth's primordial magma ocean
2
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
3
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
4
The 4 must-watch science-fiction films of the year so far
5
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
6
Orangutan mothers seem to plan playdates for their offspring
7
This thoughtful book will make you look at the wonders of trees anew
8
Random wobbles in time could finally solve gravity’s greatest mystery
9
Dinosaur-killing asteroid impact site stayed hot for millions of years
10
‘Hobbit’ hominins scavenged meat left over by Komodo dragons
