Posted: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 1:58 PM By JOHN O'CONNELL
RUPERT, Idaho -- New lab results suggest zebra chip infection in
Idaho's 2012 potato crop resulted from a type of the disease-
causing Liberibacter bacteria that's believed to be less
aggressive than the other known type. Type I -- the only type
found by North Dakota State University in testing 50 tubers dug
from throughout Idaho -- also appears to be predominantly
responsible for infections in Oregon and Washington, said
University of Idaho storage specialist Nora Olsen. "If it truly
is less aggressive, that is better for our industry," Olsen
said. She offered the caveat that much of Idaho's knowledge on
zebra chip comes from studies in Texas, where type II is found,
and additional research will be needed to determine how the
types may behave differently. Furthermore, she said Oregon State
University is researching if volunteers are more apt to sprout
from tubers infected with type I, potentially creating a new
source of the bacteria. Zebra chip, wh