Russia is in the grip of a virulent new strain of the infamous potato late
blight. The original strain, which caused the 19th-century Irish potato famine,
was asexual, but more potent sexual strains reached Europe in 1976. The
aggressive new strains found in Russian soil samples “are virulent, resistant to
fungicides and are creating havoc”, says K. V. Raman, a plant pathologist at
Cornell University. Small Russian farms simply can’t afford the heavy doses of
fungicide needed to stop the blight.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
If you aren't terrified by this heatwave, you should be
2
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
3
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
4
Lost books by ancient philosophers recovered from 'unreadable' scrolls
5
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
6
Possible signs of ancient life on Mars are rich in complex carbon
7
The best sci-fi novel in 2026 so far – plus 6 other great reads
8
Hidden black hole could explain mystery at the heart of our galaxy
9
Cervical cancer deaths have plummeted thanks to HPV vaccine
10
All known Homo naledi skeletons seem to be female
