New Zealand potato growers are successfully dealing with the pest that’s been their biggest headache in recent years, an industry group says. The tomato-potato psyllid, discovered in New Zealand in 2006, spreads a bacterium that causes zebra chip in potatoes. Champak Mehta of Potatoes New Zealand says the industry has the psyllid well under control thanks to the knowledge gained through research. “We understand the psyllid lifecycle, we understand how to keep it within constraints that are manageable,” he says. “Also by doing that, we’ve been able to reduce the total amount of chemicals used on our crops over the growing season.”
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