Summary
Potato growers have been able to control the fungus,Phytophthora infestans, that causes late blight with fungicides, but at an increasingly higher cost. A Delphi survey was conducted with thirteen experts to estimate the impact of late blight on potato yields, storage losses and fungicide use. It was estimated late-blight fungicides cost $77.1 million and lost revenue for US growers was an additional $210.7 million. These total costs, which average $507 per hectare, do not include non-fungicide control practices.
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Guenthner, J.F., Michael, K.C. & Nolte, P. The economic impact of potato late blight on US growers. Potato Res 44, 121–125 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02410098
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02410098