Potato wart threat to Maine industry > Officials say state could become a ‘biological island’ if disease is not controlled

PRESQUE ISLE – Maine could become a “biological island” if the potato wart found on Prince Edward Island were to find its way into the state potato industry, according to officials speaking Wednesday at a Maine Potato Board meeting.

The wart, which can last for decades in the soil, causes mushroomlike growths on the potato skin, rendering the tuber unmarketable. The disease can destroy an entire industry.

Dr. Steve Johnson, a University of Maine scientist, said that if the disease found its way into Maine, the industry would become a “biological island.”

Because of the state’s proximity to Canada, it is especially vulnerable, according to industry officials.

“Maine is the most at-risk state in the country,” said David Lavway, a representative of the National Potato Board. “If you get it, you’re out of business.”

Many potatoes from eastern Canada, including P.E.I., travel through Maine on their way to points south in the United States.

The potato wart was found late in October in Prince Edward Island. As a result, the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service closed the entire American-Canadian border to any fresh or seed potatoes from P.E.I.

In addition, the island province is relegated to shipping containers weighing 20 pounds or less to other Canadian provinces. No larger or bulk shipments are allowed.

According to Lavway, one fear is that potatoes carrying the disease could be shipped out of P.E.I. and repacked in containers with different labeling.

“We weren’t born yesterday,” Lavway said.

To alleviate any risk, national potato industry officials have asked APHIS to close the U.S.-Canadian border to all Canadian potatoes, regardless of their origin.

Although APHIS has not acted favorably as yet on the request, Lavway said that even if there is a slim possibility of the disease finding its way into the United States, the border could be closed to all Canadian potatoes.

Johnson said that some potatoes already were repacked in relabeled containers before the border was closed to P.E.I. potatoes.

“People don’t understand the threat of this pathogen,” said Johnson. “If this pathogen comes, you become a island.”

Another issue is the lack of knowledge that the U.S. industry has regarding the disease. Because of its ability to become a dormant, impenetrable spore, the disease is resistant to any pesticides.

Johnson is researching existing literature on the pathogen before contacting one of the few known experts on the disease. The expert reportedly lives in Newfoundland, which had been under quarantine for the wart for years.

The only example of the disease in Maine is a pickled sample which has been in the university’s inventory for decades, according to Johnson.

“We don’t have experience with this,” the scientist said.