TopVeg demands return on effort so the new Home Testing Kit for Potato Blight is good news. A lot of effort goes into growing potatoes, and blight can ruin the crop in days.

If potatoes are showing symptoms of potato blight, vegetable gardeners can use Pocket Check to get a diagnosis. A small sample from the potato plant is added to the extraction bottle and shaken for 30 seconds. Using the pipette, 2-3 drops of the extraction mixture is added to each of the tests. The test takes between 3-10 minutes to complete giving a positive or negative conclusion.

The Pocket Check tests cost £7.65 + VAT

Each kit contains the following:
1 x Phytophthora test, 1 x Botrytis test, 1 x sample extraction bottle (containing extraction buffer and ball bearings), 1 x pipette,

instructions and

disease information card.

Click this link for information on the control of potato blight.

This potato blight checker has been used in the potato industry for a few years. Now that it is available as a home testing kit, vegetable gardeners have a good tool to help them control potato blight.

The Lincolnshire Potato & Sausage Festival is being held on 25 October 2008 to celebrate the International Year of the Potato