Crop Profile for Potatoes in New York

General Production Information Potatoes are a vegetable crop of great economic importance in New York, and rank number one in economic value among vegetables produced in the state. Grown in several major production areas across the state, potatoes are used for fresh market (tablestock), processing (primarily chipping) and for seed. Of the wide variety of pests attacking potatoes, Colorado potato beetles and late blight disease are the most important. Imidacloprid is currently quite effective, but Colorado potato beetles have shown a remarkable ability to develop resistance. The industry needs to have a variety of insecticides of differing modes of action, including some organophosphates as well as new materials, in order to manage resistance in this pest. Metalaxyl-resistant strains of the late blight pathogen have become widespread in the US, greatly increasing the relative importance of this potentially devastating disease. Because no curative systemic fungicide is available to control late blight outbreaks, use of protectant fungicides has increased significantly over the past five years. The industry has critical needs for: new insecticides for CPB control; a curative systemic fungicide for late blight control; and registration of new herbicides for weed control. Without the registration of new effective alternatives, the loss of methamidophos, dimethoate, th